Behind Those Blue Eyes
by SelectionGirl0723
Summary: *Sequel to Happily Ever After* So many things are changing in Illéa, for the good and bad. America wants the best for her family but what happens when life as royalty gets in the way. *All rights go to Kiera Cass*
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone. So good news, I managed to get the sequel uploaded earlier than I thought. So this chapter is mostly an introductory chapter for the story. So if you haven't read my first story "Happily Ever After" I suggest you read that one first (just a suggestion). Also i'm open to reviews, PM's and suggestion for the story. Every review means the world to me guys. Without further ado, here's chapter one! :)**

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 **Chapter 1:**

I look down at the beautiful baby girl cooing in my arms. We are sitting on the rocking chair in the nursery, waiting for Maxon to finish his meetings for the day. She quite the quiet baby, meaning she only cries when she's hungry or she pooped. It's been a week since we've returned from Italy and so far parenthood has been great. Sure the lack of sleep is catching up to me and changing unlimited dirty diapers is annoying but I wouldn't trade this for the world. Emmaline starts stirring in my arms and I attempt to soothe her with a lullaby. I hear the door open as I softly sing to my baby girl. I look up from my baby girl's memorizing blue eyes to see Maxon walking over towards us. "How was the meeting?" I ask as I lift my feet off of the ottoman to let Maxon sit down. "Stressful." He replies as I place my feet in his lap and he massages my feet. I continue to sing to Emmaline but it isn't calming her. "What time is it?" I ask. "4:30ish." He replies looking up at me. I sigh and adjust Emmaline in my arms to feed her. I untie my bath robe and Emmaline immediately starts drinking. I relax against the back of the chair and smile down at my baby girl. "She's perfect." Maxon whispers as he stares at her. "Well as long as she doesn't develop my temper." I joke. Maxon laughs and stands up from his seat. Emmaline finishes eating and I hand her off to Maxon so he can burp her. I cover myself up again and close my eyes. "Ames." He whispers as he cradles his little girl. "You should get some rest before dinner. Remember we have the report tonight." I shake my head and stand up from the chair. "No I'm fine. I napped a little this afternoon while she slept." I protest as I organize the diapers sitting on the changing table. "America, go get some sleep. I can look after her for an hour before dinner. If I need anything Marlee is just downstairs in her apartment." I sigh and look over at my baby girl who is happy now that she's fed. "Fine but wake me up before dinner." I mutter as I head towards my suite. I enter my suite to see piles of paper sitting on my desk and countless blankets and baby clothes sitting on my vanity. My room is a mess since Mary hasn't been able to keep it clean. I lay down on my bed and attempt to sleep. I toss and turn for five minutes. I can't stop thinking about Emmaline and how I should be with her right now. I lay there for a few more minutes until I give up and take a shower instead.

As I wash the shampoo out of my hair I hear the door open. "Miss, are you in here." Paige calls out. "Yes Paige I'm just taking a quick shower. What do you need?" I call out. "We need to get you ready for dinner and the report. Remember your family is coming for dinner." She cheers. I hear her leave the room and I quickly finish my shower. I walk out into my room in just a towel and notice Maxon sitting on my bed smirking at my appearance. "I came in here to see if you were sleeping." He states as he walks over to me. "Sorry, I couldn't sleep. Where's Emmaline?" I demand scanning the room. "She's asleep in her bassinet. I thought she should sleep before the report later." He whispers as he pulls me into his arms. He kisses me on the lips and cheeks. I sigh and glance over at the bassinet beside my bed. I nod my head and leave the warmth of Maxon's arms. "I need to get ready." I say as I glance over at Paige. He nods and walks towards his room. "I better go change into something nicer for the report. I'll be back soon." He calls as he leaves my suite.

A little while later I'm dressed and ready for dinner. I'm wearing a floor length pale pink dress with white heels. I'm so glad I can wear heels and a more form fitting dress again. Paige put my hair up in a braid and Mary arrived to look after Emmaline as we eat dinner. "Mary can you dress her in a nice dress for the report." I smile as I run a finger along Emmaline's soft cheek. "Of course America." She smiles. I place a kiss on Emmaline's small forehead and take in her beautiful appearance. I hear the door of my suite open again and the sound of footsteps walking over towards me. "We have a dinner to attend." Maxon whispers as he wraps his arms around my waist. "I know. I can't seem to be able to be without her for more than a minute." I respond as I look up into Maxon's warm eyes. "She'll be fine with Mary. We need to eat before the report." He says as he attempts to lead me away from our sleeping daughter. "But…" I try to protest but Maxon covers my mouth with his hand. "America, she's fine for an hour. She'll be back in your arms before you know it." He smiles as he leads me out of the room.

W e enter the dining room to see my family already sitting at the table along with the Woodworks. Mom smiles at me as I walk to my seat. "Where's the baby?" May asks, frantically looking around the room. "She's with Mary against America's will." Maxon states with a smirk. May looks at him with a confused face but shrugs it off. He takes his seat next to me and digs in. I look at my food but can only think about my baby girl. My mom must be reading my mind because she quietly says "It'll get easier America, trust me." I smile and start eating my food. We eat over small talk, mostly about the report or on how Kenna is doing, she's almost 5 months pregnant and Astra is starting to learn how to talk back. "Oh she started screaming at her mother today when she wouldn't play dolls with her." Mom explains another story about Astra. The Orders were going to come but Kenna felt a bit ill and Astra was in time-out and wasn't allowed to see baby Emmaline for a week as punishment for her behaviour. We laugh at the stories when suddenly we hear a crash. We look over at Kile who is now wearing more peas then he has eaten all night. Marlee sighs and attempts to clean him up but Kile starts throwing the food around. I try to hide my laugh but May sees me and starts laughing to. "So America, have you slept any since the baby was born?" Mom asks, trying to distract us from Kile and his food explosion. I shake my head. "Not a lot. I'm often up 2/3 of the night. She doesn't cry but she doesn't sleep either. She just kinda lies there all night." I explain. Last night was the first night I kinda got some sleep over the past two weeks. The nights now just seem like days to me. My mom shakes her head and glares at me. "Don't forget you have a husband to help you." She reminds me. Maxon puts his fork down and intervenes. "I have been up with her every night but she insists I get some sleep since we do have to run a country. Also I'm taking the night shift tonight since I only have a couple meetings tomorrow." He states, taking his hand in mine. I know Maxon is starting to feel bad for not helping me as much as he thinks he should. "Maxon, you have to sleep. The upper castes are still rioting off and on. You have a country the run and I have a baby to raise." I state. Maxon shakes his head and mutters "Just wait and see." My mother smiles softly at us and returns her plate.

We finish our meal and we all walk into the Report room. This report is very important since we are announcing Emmaline's birth. The country found out that the baby was born a day after she was but they didn't know the name or the gender. The citizens are eager to finally know the details. We are hoping that the baby will appease the twos and threes for a while. I walk over to where Mary is holding Emmaline. She's wearing a white dress with the white hat Mary made her. Mary holds her out and I happily accept her. Her blue eyes fixate on mine and I place a kiss on her nose. "Hello baby girl." I whisper as I cradle her. She stares up at me and I laugh gently. Maxon walks over and hugs me from behind; placing his chin on my shoulder. "She's beautiful." He smiles. "Just like her mother." He places a kiss on my cheek as Gavril approaches us. "Aright you're Majesties. It's time to announce the baby." He smiles as he looks down at the princess. "She's going to be a miniature America with blond hair." He states as he walks towards his seat. "Hopefully she is Gavril because everyone loves America." Maxon smiles and places a kiss on my forehead. We take out seat on the couch and Maxon wraps his arm around my shoulder. My family are sitting in seats on the side of the stage. Before the camera's turn on, Silvia walks over with a blanket for Emmaline. "Just in case." She whispers to me. I take the blanket and set it beside me on the couch. I'm just hoping at this point that Emmaline doesn't get hungry or fussy during the report. Silvia said I could excuse myself and leave since Emmaline doesn't know that she shouldn't cry on the report. I let out a breath I was holding and adjust Emmaline in my arms. She looks up at me with her sparkling blue eyes. I smile at her as the camera man screams 30 seconds. Maxon places a quick kiss on my cheek and turns towards the camera. "Welcome Illéa to our very special report tonight. I'm Gavril Fadaye and I'm here with King Maxon, Queen America and a very special guest. You're Majesties; I'll let you have the floor." Maxon nods and starts the royal announcement of the baby. "Illéa, I am proud to announce that Queen America has given birth to the heir of the Illéan throne. On March 21st at 1:36am Queen America gave birth to Princess Emmaline May Schreave." I smile at the camera as the country explodes in happiness. I adjust Emmaline so that the camera can get a close-up of her face. Maxon smiles down at his daughter. I look back up to the camera and start my part of the speech. "Emmaline was born a week premature but weighed 7 pounds 3 ounces. She's a healthy baby. We were pleasantly surprised when I went into labour over in Italy while we were attending Princess Nicoletta's wedding." I explain. "Queen America had an easy and quick labour of only 3 hours. We are so excited about our daughter's arrival." Maxon finishes. Gavril smiles widely at us and refocuses at the camera. "There you have it Illéa. Princess Emmaline is here and ready to rule." "Not yet Gavril. She still need another 19 years of training before she can take over the throne." Maxon intervenes. "Of course King Maxon, we also need a selection before she can become Queen." Gavril continues to push Maxon's buttons. "Wait a minute Gavril. My little girl isn't going near boys any time soon. I'll consider a selection when she's thirty." Maxon states, puffing out his chest. I start laughing and shake my head. "Watch out Princess, you have an overprotective father here." Gavril laughs. "Yes she does." I smile. I notice Emmaline starting to stir in my arms and I motion to Gavril to wrap up the announcement. "Congratulations you're Majesties on your daughter and hopefully we'll see more of her soon. Now King Maxon, update us on the caste removal."

The camera zooms in on Maxon and Gavril so that I can exit the stage without being noticed. I walk by Marlee who is standing on the side of the stage with Carter and Kile. She follows me out of the room after he hands Kile to Carter. As soon as I exit the studio, Emmaline starts to cry loudly. I cradle her to my chest and attempt to soothe her with a lullaby. Marlee places her nose near Emmaline and makes a face. "I believe she needs her diaper changed." She announces with a sympathetic smile. "Thanks Marlee." I sigh. "Tell Maxon when he's done that I'll be in the nursery." I call out as I walk in the direction of the third floor.

The sun shines through the large window of my study and lights up the entire room. Today is the first day since I went off maternity leave months ago that I am able to do actual work. April is here and so are the spring meetings. There are several meetings every day for the next week on how we can improve the budgets and the country. Apparently having a baby two weeks ago isn't an excuse to miss the meetings this year. Even though today is Saturday there are still several meetings Maxon must attend and one I have to attend. The country is full of stress right now as the riots continue. We were lucky enough to fly in safely from Italy and there have been no riots yet in Angeles or on the palace. Maxon has been in a lot of meetings trying to please the citizens. Silvia and Marlee are sitting across from me at my desk and they get their notes ready for the meetings. Since I missed the past few months, these ladies are attempting to catch me up on everything that has happened as far as budgets and castes removal goes.

I lean back in my chair and sigh. I glance down at Emmaline, who is lying in the travel-size bassinet on my desk. She looks up at me with her big blue eyes. I laugh at her confused face. "Queen America, this work isn't going to finish itself." Silvia mutters, glaring up at me. I refocus myself onto the papers in front of me. The meeting starts in 20mins and I'm nowhere near ready. I haven't seen the advisors since before the wedding. I'm honestly kind of scared to go into a meeting with them this soon. Normally the Queen is given a month off after the heir is born in order to calm her hormones before attending stressful meetings.

A knock at the door interrupts my thoughts and upsets Emmaline. "Come in." I call out as I pick up my scared daughter. "Knock quieter next time." I mutter angrily, not caring who just came in the room. "Sorry my darling, I thought Emmaline was in the suite with Mary." Maxon says, walking behind the desk to greet me with a kiss. "How's my favourite little girl?" he coos. I cradle Emmaline close to me and whisper "I couldn't leave her alone." Maxon rubs my shoulders and looks up at Marlee and Silvia. "Are the notes almost ready for the meeting?" Marlee sets down the notes she was working on and smiled. "The ones I was working on are done and ready for the advisors. Also I could watch Emmaline during the meeting. I'm sure everyone will find it easier if there isn't a baby crying throughout the entire meeting." Marlee offers. I shake my head, my eyes not leaving Emmaline's. "Ames, I'm sorry but the baby can't come with us. I know it's hard for you to let her go but you need to understand that it will get easier. Marlee is 100% capable of watching her for a few hours." Maxon tries to reason. I say nothing and keep my head down. Marlee and Silvia gather up the notes for the meeting and Silvia carries them out the door to and to the conference room. I feel Maxon hands move from my shoulder and place them on Emmaline. "Trust me Ames." He whispers. Maxon takes Emmaline from me and cradles her in his arms. I watch him as he places a kiss on her forehead and hands her to Marlee. He then takes my hands and leads me out of the chair and out of the room. "Maxon I can't leave her." I protest. Maxon remains silent and guides me down the hall towards the meeting.

I hear the advisors screaming at each other through the door. "Maxon, I'm not ready to face the advisors yet. Now I know that the country isn't at its best right now with the riots but I just need a rest." I plea. Maxon pulls me in for a hug. "I know Ames. Just stay for a little while, for me." He places a piece of hair behind my ear and smiles. "After this meeting we can go to our rooms and relax for a while." "You better keep that promise my royal husbandness." I mutter. Maxon smirks and kisses me lovingly before opening the doors to the meeting. The advisors are all sitting in their chairs arguing over something. The noise level decreases once Maxon and I sit down in our seats. "Gentlemen, we are here today to discuss possible ideas to appease the upper castes within the country within a reasonable budget. We all welcome Queen America to our meeting where she is temporarily returning from maternity leave to help us settle this problem." Maxon opens the meeting and takes my hand underneath the table.

Many different ideas are pitched the advisors but many of them had more consequences than rewards. I lean back in my chair and look around the room. "What if we offer a small check to every household of two's and threes? We can say that it's in celebration of the princess's arrival." One advisor suggests. "And where would we get the money for that? That would take up too much money and the other castes would be upset." Maxon places our joint hands on my lap and sighs. "Any other ideas or can we move on to our next meeting?" He asks. We sit in silence when suddenly an idea comes to my head. "What if we had a celebration?" Maxon looks as me puzzled. "We never had a celebration for the birth of Emmaline. I know she's already two weeks old but I read some old documents before she was born. It was recorded that your birth celebration was three weeks after because of your mother's slow recovery state. We can say that I just finished recovering and since I've only been seen during the birth announcement, it would be believable." I explain. Maxon smiles and looks to the advisors. "We could have small parties throughout the provinces for upper castes and parades and activities for the lower castes to attend." Maxon elaborates. "And the parties and such will help fives get some jobs." I add. The advisors look pleased. "This will help settle them down until we can find a more permanent idea." Maxon stands up as does the rest of the room. "Then it's decided that we will hold a celebration in two days. Someone inform the Silvia and the staff. Gavril, get the word out to mayors and citizens once the details are finalized." "Yes, you're majesty." "The meeting is over. Let's move on to the next meeting after a quick break. Also please excuse the Queen as she is obligated to return to maternity leave and care for the princess." With that the meeting is over and Maxon guides me out of the room.

As soon as the door of the meeting room is closed Maxon pulls me into his arms and kisses me passionately. "I can't believe I married the smartest and most beautiful woman in the entire world." He whispers as he kisses me. "I better get back to Emmaline. She's probably hungry and Marlee can't feed her." I sigh as I break off the kiss. Maxon places a kiss on my hair and smiles sweetly at me. "Okay, I should be back after these meetings. Ames, try to relax for a little while." I nod my head and place one last kiss on Maxon lips. "I'll try but you better meet us for dinner." "I'll be there."

The sky is filled with pink and orange tonight. The sun is setting over the city and the city lights slowly turning on. The Angeles air is cooling down for the night and the night sky is creeping up from the east side of the palace. I'm standing on my balcony, cradling Emmaline in my arms. She looks adorable in her little pink onesie and matching hat. A noise comes from down in the gardens and I see Marlee and Carter walking hand in hand. Marlee is laughing loudly about something Carter said. I unconsciously smile as I watch Carter pull Marlee in for a kiss. I help but think about everything that they went through together. I turn my head to give them some privacy.

I sit down on a lounge chair and pull my knees close to my chest. A knock on the patio door interrupts my thoughts. "Am I allowed to join you?" my husband whispers, half standing between my room and the balcony. His hair is messed up and he is missing his jacket, tie and shoes. Although he is handsome I can't help but be a little mad at him. "You missed dinner." I mutter, not looking up at him. Maxon walks over to me and sits on the chair opposite of me. "I'm sorry my darling. I tried to get out of the meeting but we are still trying to figure out how to appease the castes and try to find money to continue the caste removal." I sigh and look at Maxon. "I know. I was just hoping to have some alone time with you." Maxon stands up from his chair. "We will. We can ask Marlee to watch the baby for a little while. Maybe we can go watch a movie." I laugh and point towards the gardens. "Marlee's busy." Maxon looks down into the gardens. "Looks like baby Woodwork #2 will be here in ten months." He jokes. I stifle a laugh. "When was she fed last?" he asks, nodding to Emmaline. "She's probably going to be hungry soon, why?" I ask. "I'll be back." He mummers as he goes back into my room. I don't understand his secretiveness. I move from my seat and back into my room. I close the balcony doors and turn the table lamp on. The room seems smaller with only the one dim light on. Maxon appears to have disappeared from the room. I lay Emmaline down in her bassinet. I take my hair out of the braid Mary put in earlier. I enter my closet and remove my dress and put on a blue nightgown. I walk over and collapse on my bed waiting for Emmaline to start crying. I'm not disappointed because within two minutes, ear piercing cries fill the room.

I curl up on my bed and start feeding Emmaline. I hear the door of my suite open and Maxon walks in. "Where did you go?" I ask. Maxon sits next to me on the bed and wraps his strong arm around my waist. "This is my favourite view." He whispers in my ear. I smirk and look up at him with loving eyes. "Why, because it involves you seeing my breast?" I joke. Maxon laughs and places a kiss on head. I snuggle up to Maxon. "No, it's because I can feel the love you have for her. She's perfect and so are you." "Well one can never help being born into perfection." I whisper. "No, I don't suppose you can." He lowers his lips on mine. He places a hand on my cheek and deepens the kiss. "You never answered my question." I say against his lips. Maxon pulls away and looks down at Emmaline. "I found us a babysitter for the night or at least a few hours." Emmaline finishes and I place her against my shoulder to burp. "Maxon, I don't think that that's a good idea. She's only two weeks old. She needs to be with me." He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "Ames, it's just for two hours. You're the one who said you wanted some alone time. Anyways the babysitter I found is more than capable to watch Emmaline." "Who would that be?" I ask sceptically. Maxon looks at me with a smug grin. "Your mother. I called her and asked her and she was more than happy." "Maxon, it's getting late. She needs rest as well. God knows Astra and May have been driving her insane." I argue. "America, Emmaline will be a break for her. Anyways it's too late. She's on her way and I told the guards to let her come straight up here." I sigh and place a kiss on Emmaline's forehead. I watch as her eyes start to close. "See Ames." Maxon whispers. "She's almost asleep anyways."

We sit there on my bed for several minutes, just enjoying the quietness. The door opens slightly and my mom sneaks into the room. "She's asleep already Magda. You have an easy job tonight." Maxon whispers. My mom walks over and hugs me. "Alright America, hand your daughter over. She's going to be fine." I place a kiss on her forehead and hand Emmaline over to my mom. "Magda, I had the room across the hall from us cleaned so you can spend the night in there if you want. There's a bassinet in there for the baby and anything you need is…" "Maxon, I know where everything is. Now don't you start worrying too." My mom smiles. "I did raise five kids you know." "And you did a wonderful job." Maxon adds. My mom waves goodbye and leaves the room quietly. Maxon turns to me the second the door is closed. "Oh no mister. Dr. Cole told me to wait four months before sex." I state. Maxon smirks as he starts removing his shirt. "Who said we had to go that far." His voice gets huskier with every word. I lean up and kiss him. He pushes me onto the bed and runs a hand under my nightgown. "America Schreave, tonight you are mine." He deepens the kiss and turns off the light. For a few moments I forget about all the problems I have to deal with in the morning.

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 **I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter. The next chapter should be up around June 30th the latest (hopefully earlier). Until next time my lovely readers :)**

 **-SelectionGirl0723**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, sorry about the super late update. I'm working at a summer camp this summer and I'm allowed 45 mins off a day (and that includes shower time), so I haven't had much time to write. I will finish this story and updates will hopefully be quicker. I have chapter three half done already. That one should be up no later than Aug 16th. Also feel free to review or message anytime :)**

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 **Chapter 2:**

"Oh Emmaline, please stop crying." I beg, rocking my crying girl in my arms. I glance out the window and look up at the dark night sky. Some part of me misses the time when I slept at night. I start singing a sweet lullaby but Emmaline continues to cry. I check her diaper once again but it's dry. I grab a blanket from the crib and wrap her up in it. Emmaline's cries become louder and I sit down in the rocking chair. I attempt to feed her but she only cries louder and squirms in my arms. I hear the door open and I lean my head back against the chair and close my eyes. "Ames?" I hear Maxon whisper. I open my eyes and look up at my husband who's standing in front of the chair. "Maxon, she won't stop crying. I tried feeding her twice, I changed her diaper, I burped her and I tried calming her by singing. I don't know what to do." I cry. Emmaline continues to cry as I stand up from the chair and rock her. "Let me see her America." Maxon says as he holds out his arms for her. I hold her closer but Maxon sighs and motions for me to hand her over. I reluctantly put her in his arms. I feel bad for Maxon and for him having to deal with this. He had a late meeting and only got to our room at 11:30. I glance at the clock, 1:37. Maxon holds Emmaline close to his chest and places a kiss on her head. She slowly stops crying and snuggles up to Maxon's warm chest. I sigh in relief and I start to cry. "So she stops for you." I mutter, wrapping my robe closer around me. "She knows you're tense and tired." He replies, cradling his daughter. I hold out my arms for my child. Maxon shakes his head and holds Emmaline closer. "My darling, you need some sleep. You've been awake for over 24 hours and I know that. Mary said that you didn't sleep at all. I'll watch Emmaline while you rest." He states. I sigh and I start folding some clothes on the dresser. "Maxon you're tired too. You had meetings all day with more tomorrow and we have the celebration tomorrow. You need to be well rested more than me." I bargain. Maxon shakes his head and walks towards the door to our suite. "America, you need sleep. I'm fine, I can cancel the meetings but you can't cancel being a mother. Come on, I'll watch the baby but she's almost asleep as it is." Maxon opens the door to my suite. I look over at him and sigh. "Alright but wake me if you need me." I whisper, careful not to wake Emmaline up. Maxon nods and follows me into my suite. I lie down on the bed and curl up in the blankets and pillows. I fall sleep before Maxon can place Emmaline in the bassinet.

I wake up to Maxon rubbing my back. "Where's Emmaline?" I ask, sitting up and scanning around the room. "She's in her bassinet. She's hungry but I think she fell back to sleep since she's no longer crying. "Why didn't you wake me earlier?" I demand leaving the bed and rushing over to my daughter. "She's asleep now so you should sleep some more while she' fine." Maxon suggests, walking up behind me and wrapping his arms around me. "What time is it?" I ask, my eyes not leaving my blond haired child. "Around 5" He whispers in my ear. "Have you slept?" "No, not since I took Emmaline from you." He confesses. "Well you should. I've slept enough to last me for the day. You have a meeting at 9." I state. Maxon sighs and places a kiss on my lips. "Wake me up at 7." He mutters reluctantly. Maxon gets into the bed and within seconds I hear his breathing evening out. I sigh and look down at Emmaline who is still fast asleep. I quietly walk to the bathroom, attempting not to wake up the sleeping bears. I quickly use the washroom and attempt to brush out my knotted hair. I hear stirring in the other room as I accidentally drop my hairbrush on the countertop. I tiptoe into the bedroom and glance into the bassinet. Emmaline seems undisturbed at the moment. I sigh of relief and sit down on the bed. I watch Maxon who is sprawled across the bed fast asleep. It's been a while since we've actually both slept at the same time.

I pick up a magazine that is sitting on the bedside table. "First daughter born of Schreave bloodline" the headline states boldly. The media has gone on frenzy ever since hearing that the heir is a girl. I can't imagine the happiness Amberly would feel if she was here with us. Clarkson would probably enforce that she wouldn't receive the throne in 20 years but her brother would if she were to have one. I flip through the magazine looking at different articles. I hear stirring coming from Emmaline's bed. I gently set the magazine down and tip toe over to her. I look down to see her bright blue eyes staring up at me. "Hello baby girl." I coo. I lift her out of the bassinet and carry her into the nursery. "We better stay in here so we don't wake daddy. He's had a long night." I curl up in the rocking chair and place a kiss her soft forehead. I feed Emmaline and quietly sing lullabies until the sun rises.

"Okay you're Majesties, just step up onto the trailer. It will be pulled by the truck ahead and you will be doing the entire parade route." Silvia explains as we stand in the garage of the palace. Gavril walks over and bows. "You're Majesties; the report camera will be on your left just past the mayor's house. The truck will stop for a few moments for you to get an official photo and then move on to finish the parade." Maxon smiles down at me and places a kiss on my head. "Do you think you're up for this Ames?" he asks as I try to stifle a yawn. "I'm fine Maxon; I'll rest after the parade and before the party tonight." I groan. "Queen's don't pout." Silvia glares. I shake my head and turn around at the noise behind me. I watch Aspen and Carter walks up in guard uniforms with 6 guards behind them. "Here's you're float guards including Carter and myself." Aspen states as he strides over towards us. I notice Lucy walking behind the group with a pale pink dress on that shows off her tiny 4 month bump. I walk up to her and give her a big hug, careful not to squish the babies between us. "How's it going?" I ask, admiring her bump. "Well its going pretty well considering the morning sickness is over and cravings are just starting to kick in." she smiles. We turn and watch Aspen instruct the guards on where they'll stand. "Sometimes I wish Aspen had a normal job. Even though we would be sixes, I would know that he was safe from guns." Lucy whispers. She continues to stare at Aspen as she continues. "I know he's doing a good deed by protecting you but now that we have a child on the way, I just want him to be as safe as you two are like if he had a guard in front of him." I sigh and pull Lucy into a side hug. "No one in the palace is 100% safe Lucy, even with a hundred guards in front of them."

The truck pulls us out into the street and the crowds start screaming. Thousands of people seem to be standing alongside the road today as the royal family parades by. I pull Emmaline closer to my chest but still hold her in a way that the cameras and people can see her tiny face. Maxon wraps a strong arm around my waist and waves to the citizens with the other. I watch the crowd and see many mother's holding up children and pointing to the baby. I wonder if some of those mothers think that someday their son will marry the princess. Maybe they want to see her married off for an alliance. I shake my head at that thought and continue to smile and wave at the crowd with my free hand. We pass city hall with the mayor and his wife standing proud. Many young children hold signs congratulating me on the princess. Aspen is standing to my side, ready to move in front of me if need be. "We should give Aspen a slight bonus." I mutter to Maxon. "We both know how expensive baby stuff is." Maxon nods and smiles down at me. "Sounds good to me Ames." He places an unofficial kiss on my head. I laugh as I know Silvia is having a heart attack over it. Sometimes I think that everyone forgets that we are the boss of her and not the other way around.

We approach the report camera and the royal photographer that will take the picture that will be put in history books forever. I adjust Emmaline so that her face and lacy white gown are visible to the camera. I'm wearing a cream coloured gown similar to the one I wore for the photo shoot during the selection. Instead of the cap sleeves it has long sleeves with a scoop neckline and the red sash is replaced with a royal blue one. My hair is in a fancy bun with cream flowers in it and my crown rests on top of my head. Maxon was wearing a white official suit with a blue sash and his medals. We've practiced our pose for this picture. Maxon moves a little behind me so that my back is pressed against his chest. I hold Emmaline in the crook of my left arm with my right supporting her from the bottom. Her oversized white gown flows over my arm. We turn to face the camera that is angled to our right. We both smile bright and try to stay at still as possible. The photographers take many pictures and then wave us on.

We finish the parade without any incidents and pull back into the garage of the palace. "You did great you're highness." Silvia smiles. I hand her Emmaline as we exit off of the trailer. Lucy comes rushing over and gives Aspen a huge hug and kiss. Marlee comes around the corner with Kile in her arms. "You guys missed the excitement back here." She smiles as she hands Kile off the Carter. I look at her puzzled and accept her hug. "It's not my story to tell but I'm sure Mary knows all about it." She smirks. Maxon walks over to me with Emmaline in his arms. "I have a few meeting to go to Ames but I'll be back before the party to have a light dinner with you around 3, before we have to start getting ready." He places a sweet kiss on my lips and starts to walk away. "Hey mister King, aren't you forgetting something?" I nod to Emmaline but Maxon only shakes his head. "I'm sorry but the Queen needs some rest so therefore the King must look after the princess." He smiles and continues to walk away. Marlee claps me on the shoulder and smiles. "Well I think you should enjoy this while it lasts. Once she becomes a teenager, you're going to have to deal with boy drama, not Maxon." "Oh yeah." I cheer sarcastically.

I plop down onto my bed and kick off my shoes. After trudging upstairs I'm exhausted and kind of glad Maxon is looking after Emmaline. I close my eyes and allow my worn-out body to sleep. I wake up to a strange sound of glass breaking. I sit up and bed and look around. I notice from the clock that I have been asleep for over 3 hours. Emmaline should be hungry soon. I stand up from the bed and walk over to the vanity to make myself look presentable before going to find Maxon. I hear banging coming from Maxon's room. I figure it must be him looking for something and decide to go and see him. I'm almost at the door when a guard barges in from the hall door. "You're Majesty, we're" his sentence is interrupted by the rebel alarm. The guard grabs my arm and pulls me over to the corner of the room where the secret passage to the safe room is. "Emmaline." I whisper. "The Princess will be fine my Queen." The guard states before closing the door.

I run down the passage as best as I can. I hear gun shots from the other side of the wall and I move a little bit faster. I reach the door of the safe room where Maxon is standing, waiting for me. I run into his arms and he kisses me firmly. He holds me tight to his chest and buries his face in my tangled hair. "Thank God you're okay." He whispers. I place my head against his chest and listen to his heart beating. I pull awake from his chest and look him in the eyes. "Where's Emmaline?" I demand. Maxon nods towards the safe room and I escape his embrace, racing for my daughter. As we enter the room and the door is locked behind us, I see Emmaline in Lucy's arms. Lucy notices me and meets me halfway. I carefully take Emmaline in my arms and see that she is sound asleep and undisturbed by the attack. I feel Maxon's arms wrap around my waist and I lean back against him. "She cried when the alarm went off and while we were on our way down here. Lucy managed to keep her calm while we we're waiting for you." Maxon whispers in my ear. I look around the room to only see Lucy in the room with us. I stay in Maxon's arms for a little while before walking over and sitting beside Lucy. "Thank you Lucy." I smile. She smiles back and wraps me in her arms. I look up at Maxon who is standing in front of us. "Maxon, why are we in here?" I ask. Maxon runs a hand through his hair and sighs loudly. "I don't know love; I was talking to Lucy and Aspen when the alarm went off. We were in my study at the time." "I heard glass breaking and someone going through your room but I didn't think much of it at the time." I admit. Maxon looks at me with a scared face before he starts pacing. I unconsciously pull Emmaline closer to me. She starts stirring but my mind is focusing on Maxon, who is now about to wear a hole in the floor. Emmaline starts crying and Maxon snaps out of his trance. I start feeding Emmaline as Maxon comes to sit beside me on the cot. "It's going to be fine Maxon." I whisper as I place my head on his shoulder.

Three hours later the door of the safe room opens. Aspen walks in with several other guards by his side. Lucy runs to him and hugs him tight. I stand up and follow Maxon across the room. "Leger, what happened?" he asks, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. Aspen sighs and nods towards me. "Silvia asked me to tell you that guest should be arriving any minute for the ball. She said that she'll use the excuse of you feeding the baby as you're reason to be late but she expects you to be there as soon as possible. The advisors are waiting for Maxon in the conference room to discuss the attack." Aspen explains. "What! Are we really still having this celebration literally a few minutes after an attack on the palace? As Queen I cancel any celebrations tonight in the palace, it's not safe." I freak. Maxon sighs and looks at me. "Ames, we have to act like nothing happened in front of the guests. Its fine, I'll join you after the meeting." He puts a fake smile on his face. I sigh loudly and start walking towards the stairs. Partway up the steps I turn to see Lucy and a guard following me. "I'll help you get ready, America." She smiles. I nod my head and continue up the stairs. "So what was the excitement here during the parade?" I ask, remembering Marlee's excitement earlier. Lucy blushes and turns to look at me. "Mary's engaged. Her knight in shining armour propose this morning!" I pull Lucy in for a hug. "I'll have to congratulate her later."

I enter by bedroom and kick off my pink heels. My suite is dimly lit and the moon is shining through the balcony doors. The celebration went perfectly without anyone even remotely guessing about an attack on the palace just mere moments before they arrived. Maxon never did show up at the celebration and Mary took Emmaline up early this evening to put her to bed. I sit on my bed and glance at the clock. It's almost midnight and I'm wide awake. I can't help but wonder about the attack. It's the first attack in months. I thought we were safe. I walk over to my closet and change from my pink gown and put on shorts and a baggy t-shirt. I remove the clips in my hair and let my red mane fall down my back. I look around my suite and sigh. "Who knew my life would end up like this." I whisper into the darkness. I walk across to the door connecting my suite to Maxon's. I open the door and peak in. I see glass still shattered on the floor from the attack. Apparently no one decided to clean the King's suite. But then again they had to clean the part of the palace that guests would see tonight. I close the door again and lean back against it. I sit in silence lost in my thoughts until I hear my door open slightly. I see Maxon walk in silently. He doesn't notice and continues walking out to the balcony. I stand up and follow him out. "A penny for your thoughts." I whisper, walking up beside him. Maxon turns his head and grimaces. "They don't know who attacked us, it could be anyone. Yes we analyzed some of the bodies but none of them have connections to each other or past rebels." I grip the railing and tense my body. I feel Maxon slide his hand over top of mine and squeeze it. We look out over the city in silence. "What are we going to do?" Maxon shakes his head. "Right now just more guards and repairing the damage that has been done. We know for a fact that they had men come through my balcony windows and how they managed to get up this high. My room won't be fixed until tomorrow so we'll stay in yours for tonight." "You mean this morning." I smirk. Maxon looks at his watch and laughs lightly. "Yes, this morning. How was the celebration?" I sigh and Maxon pulls me into his arms. "Everyone was either looking for you or talking about how cute Emmaline is. I think there were still some guests down there when I left but Silvia was about to shoo them out." Maxon laughs and places a kiss on my forehead. "I wish I could've been there with you." He whispers. I smile and lean up on my tiptoes. "Well sometimes being King has to come first." I kiss Maxon and he moves his hand to the small of my back. He dips me and continues the kiss. We break for air and I play with his tie. "You should get changed while I check on the baby." I state as I leave his embrace. Maxon laughs and follows me inside. "Alright, I'll meet you in the nursery in a few minutes.

I walk in the nursery to see Mary sitting in the rocking chair sewing in the dimly lit room. I walk over quietly and Mary looks up at me with a smile. "The princess is fast asleep, I'm sure she'll sleep for a while yet. I fed her a bottle not too long ago and she went straight to sleep." I tiptoe over to the crib and see Emmaline fast asleep. "Thank you Mary, you are free for the remainder of the night." I smile. Mary nods and quietly leaves the room. I slowly pick Emmaline up, hoping not to wake her, and carry her into my suite for the night. I put her gently in the bassinet as Maxon exits the ensuite. "Is she sleeping?" he asks as he walks up behind me. I nod my head and suggest quietly "Let's get some sleep before she wakes up." Maxon takes my hand and leads me to the bed. We get comfy in bed with my head on his bare chest. "Maxon, how are we going to continue pleasing the people? We both know we have to keep going with the caste removal." I feel Maxon groan as he plays with my hair. "I'm not 100% sure my dear but we'll figure it out. Don't worry." Maxon statement runs through my head but I can't help but to worry.

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 **I hope you guys liked that chapter. I'm going to do a time jump in the next chapter. This story is going to have a much larger timeline compared to my first story. Thanks for reading and reviewing. Next update should be anytime before Aug 14th. Until next time**

 **-SelectionGirl0723**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey Readers. I'm sorry about the long wait but summer was so busy for me. I was never home and had bad wifi. Anyways, so this is the first part of a two chapter update. The second chapter should be up very soon since it's almost done. Let's just say that chapter four is going to be drama filled. I hope you're ready for it. Also thank you all so much on the amazing reviews. Honestly reading you're nice reviews and messages make my day. It's great to know my work is appreciated. Also has anyone else noticed that all the selection fanfictions lately aren't actually about Maxon and America. I've noticed it a lot lately. Anyways i hope you like this chapter. :)**

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 **Chapter 3:**

"What about Davis?" I ask, reading from a baby book. Kenna shakes her and makes a face. "Kenna, you asked me to help you and you've been turning down every name I gave you. You won't even put them on the maybe list." I scold. Kenna laughs in her seat across from me. "Sorry Ames, but you just happen to say names I don't like. Anyways, we don't know the gender yet and we could always pick the name when it's born. I'm not due for another 3 months and I'm sure Astra and James will come up with some names." I lie back in my seat and glance back down at the baby book. Maxon decided that I needed a stress-free day so he sent over Kenna to help distract me. Currently our baby name search in the women's room isn't doing the trick. It's been a month since that first attack and we've only had a minor one a few days later. Luckily whoever was attacking didn't get past the palace fence and guards. A knock at the door interrupts me. "You may come in." I call out. I look up and watch Maxon walk into the room with Emmaline curled up in his arms. "Have you found any names yet?" he asks as he walks over towards and takes a seat beside me. "Not yet." I sigh, tossing the book unto the table in front of me. I curl up to Maxon and place my head on his shoulder. "She is mad at me for not liking her suggestions." Kenna smirks, rubbing her rounded stomach. "I think Macy is a cute name." Maxon smiles, looking down at Emmaline. Kenna ponders on that name for a moment before writing it down on the maybe list. I sigh and lightly smack my head against Maxon shoulder. He laughs and rubs a hand across my leg. I reach over and take Emmaline from his arms. She's magically been quiet all this time and is looking up at me. "Hello beautiful." I smile, holding close to my chest. Kenna grins at us and stands up from her seat. "I should be getting back to the house. Mom probably needs help convincing May to come home for dinner. I swear that girl spends all day at Nolan's house or hiding from mom." May has been acting out for months since she met Nolan. The girl is convinced that they are going to get married and hates when people try to keep them apart. This guy is sadly changing my little sister. "Send her here for the night and we'll put her through guard training." I joke. Kenna shakes her head and slowly walks towards the door. "If only we could get her here." I laugh as Kenna leaves the room and heads for home. "Hopefully you'll be like mommy and knee guys instead of go crazy for them." Maxon smirks, looking down at Emmaline. I shake my head and stand up from the couch. "Let's go missy and mister. Supper should be ready any minute."

We walk down the hallway together. The sun is starting to set over the western sky and is turning the light purple and pink. The light comes in through the large windows of the first floor. Emmaline coos at it as she watches from my arms. Maxon places a kiss on my forehead and wraps an arm around my waist. "Ames, we should take a day off and just spend some time with your family and Emmaline. It seems like forever since I've played soccer with Gerad and I'm sure May would love to see her niece." Maxon states as he steers us in the direction of the dining room. "Maxon, you have tons of meetings and I'm still trying to get caught up with what's going on in this country; maybe someday but defiantly not anytime soon. Also your Aunt is coming to town next week. I have to make sure everything is ready for her and the kids." I explain. Maxon shakes his head and sighs loudly. "You know it weird to think that the King is free but the Queen is too busy to even spend a minute with me." I laugh and lightly smack his arm. "Okay mister late night." I tease. Maxon steps away from me with a glint in his eyes. "Listen here Ames; I prefer the name "Mister night owl"." He takes Emmaline from my arms and cradles her against his chest. "Let's go get some supper so the princess can eat afterwards." He smirks, taking off down the hallway.

"Hello sunshine." I coo as I lift my daughter out of her crib. She looks at me with her wide blue eyes. I carry her over to the changing table and remove her pick onesie and start changing her diaper. I hear the door open and Mary walks in with some clean clothes and starts to put them away. "Good morning Princess." She cheers at Emmaline. I dress her in a yellow dress with a white ribbon and matching socks. "Mary, can you remind me what time Adele is coming today." I ask, walking over to the rocking chair. Mary sets down at the clothes on the dresser and looks over at me. "Silvia mentioned something about her coming around lunch but I'll go check for you." She starts walking towards the door to go find Silvia.

I cradle Emmaline in my arms and start to feed her. I hear a knock at the door and call them in. I keep my eyes on Emmaline, thinking that it's just Maxon but I'm soon interrupted by a throat being cleared. I look up to see my mom standing there with her face full of tears and her arms crossed. I stand up and attempt to not disturb Emmaline as she continues to drink. "Mom, why are you here?" I ask, walking towards her. She holds back her tears as she brushes hair out of my face. "Kota called early this morning." She whispers. "He was away from the house for a few days for work and when he returned home the house was vandalized." My jaw drops in shock. "What did they do?" I whisper. Emmaline starts to stir in my arms and I attempt to calm her. "They destroyed the living room and wrote nasty things on the walls, just to name a few things." Her eyes turn away from me. "Mom, what did they write?" I demand. Mom shakes her head. Emmaline finishes her breakfast and mom quickly takes her into her arms. She sways around the room, ignoring my question. I sit down on the small ottoman and put my head into my hands. "Mom, please answer me." I beg. She places a kiss on Emmaline's forehead and turns to face me. "Give us our power back, bring King Clarkson back, and stop taking our born rights away." She whispers quietly, as if she's trying to protect Emmaline from the harsh statements. I can feel the tears coming on and I try to shake them away. "They don't like me." I whisper. I stand up from my seat and walk past my mother and into my suite.

I see Maxon sitting at the small table eating breakfast. He looks up at me with a smile that quickly fades when he sees my expression. "Ames." He whispers, as he stands up from his seat. He starts to walk towards me but I take off into the bathroom and lock the door. I lean up against it and cry. I feel Maxon knocking on the other side and attempting to open the door. I continue to cry as Maxon continues to ask me what's going on. I zone out Maxon as my thoughts consume me. 'Why don't they like me, I'm just trying to help.' Suddenly everything becomes clear. It's the upper castes attacking us. They're mad over the caste removal. In frustration, I continue to cry. I move from against the door to sitting on the side of the bathtub. Maxon is still pleading with me. "Ames… please come out. Let's talk about it." After a few seconds I hear a door opening. "Oh Magda, what's going on with America?" I assume Maxon has moved away from the door now as I can only hear hushed voices. After several minutes of a hushed conversation I hear a slow knock at the door. "My darling please let me in." Maxon whispers gently. I eventually unlock the door and Maxon pulls me into his arms the second he lays eyes on me. I cry into his warm chest and he places kisses on my forehead and rubs my backs. "It's going to be okay Ames, not everyone is going to like us. Heck, not everyone like Gregory and they put him in charge." Maxon laughs at that last part. "America, life as a royal isn't easy but I promise you that the stress and challenges are worth it. Just think of everything we have to be thankful for. There's a little girl in her room waiting for her mommy to cuddle her and a husband wishing to take his wife to breakfast. I'll watch Emmaline while you get dressed and ready." Maxon states as he places a soft kiss on my cheek. "Also, I'm sure there's room in the budget to help Kota repair the house." He smiles as he leaves my embrace and goes back into the bedroom. The thought of the castes not liking us is still hitting me hard. The hold so much power over us. I try to relax my body a bit as I start to get ready for the day ahead.

"MAXXXXXX." Six voices call out. Adele's children come running in the main door with their mother following close behind. Maxon runs and picks up the youngest one, tickling him to no end. I walk over to the loud crew carrying Emmaline in my arms. Adele sees me and walks right pass the group of kids tackling the king and pulls me in for a hug. "She's precious." Adele whispers and she looks down at Emmaline. I hold her out to Adele and she quickly takes her. I look over at the pile of arms and legs on the floor. "I swear those kids are mature until they see their cousin." Adele laughs. Her attention comes back to me and she smiles. "They are going to be a while." I nod my head. "Would you like to come have some tea in the women's room?" Adele nods her head and follows me down the hall. The screams of the children and Maxon follow us down the hallway. I hear the guards chuckling behind us as we walk. We enter the women's room and sit down on a couch in the corner of the room. "So how has it been so far?" Adele asks, adjusting Emmaline in her arms. "It's been great." I smile. Adele gives me a pointed look. "Fine." I sigh. "I haven't slept much and I've changed a lot of diapers but I do love that little girl with all my heart. She's worth it." Adele smiles down at Emmaline and places a kiss on her forehead. "The first is always the hardest. You're a new mom thrown into the situation unprepared. They always say prepare for the labour but little do we know that's the easy part." I nod my head in agreement. "How was the labour for you?" she asks. "Giving birth in Italy must have been fun." I laugh and lean back in my seat. I hear loud voices coming from down the hall. I assume it to be Maxon and his cousins. "To be honest, I was terrified when I first went into labour. I was at the wedding reception when my water broke. The labour itself was painful but it went by rather quickly. I'm hoping next time I'll have my family there for support." Adele nods her head and smiles. "So there's going to be a next time?" Adele asks, nudging me in the shoulder. I blush and grin widely. "Maybe someday, but not for another few years. I still need to get use to the idea of being a mother. But Maxon and I both want a big family and as long as I can continue to have kids then that's the plan." Adele pulls me in for a side hug. "I want you to know that Amberly would be proud of you and she would love this little bundle of joy." I wipe away a tear as Adele continues to admire Emmaline. I hear a crash in the hallway. Adele looks at me with an annoyed face. "How much do you want to bet that that noise was my children and your husband?"

We go into the hall to see a shattered vase and seven flushed faces looking at us. "Maxon, what did you do?" I demand. Maxon looks down at the ground and puts his hands in his pockets. "Well I decided to play some soccer with my cousins and then when I try to take a shot, I may have hit my great grandmother's vase." I shake my head while looking down at the broken vase and soccer ball. I pick up the ball and hand it to one of the children. "Children, go outside and continue playing in the gardens. Maxon will join you after he cleans up the vase." I state. The children stand still looking at me. "Listen to America, no go." Adele orders. The children run down the hall carrying the soccer. Maxon looks up at me and opens his mouth to apologize. "Don't bother." I sigh. "Just clean up the vase and go play with the kids. You have a meeting at three remember with Gavril. Also we are having a nice dinner tonight with our families, so make sure you get out of the meeting on time." I urge. Maxon salutes me and runs off down the hall. "Hopefully he's coming back." Adele laughs. "Would you like some tea?" I ask, turning back towards the women's room. "Sure but it looks like you can use it more than I." She chuckles.

I enter the dining room in a gorgeous formal dress. It's dark blue with thick straps and jewels resting below my chest. It shows a little bit of cleavage and makes me feel beautiful. Mary spend days on it and requested that I wear it tonight. She's currently watching Emmaline and offered to for the rest of the night. I only accepted after I made a few bottles and realising me and Maxon really needed a date night. I look around the room to see Adele and her children already seated and Mom talking to Carter and Marlee. Everyone appears to be here except for one person. I walk over to the Woodworks and my mother and smile. "Carter, have you seen my husband?" I ask, fiddling my hands. "No I haven't but I'm sure he'll be down here soon." Marlee takes my hands and gives me a reassuring smile. "He'll be here America. By the way, you look stunning tonight. I see Mary made a new dress. I assume that Mary will be watching Emmaline for the rest of the night." She winks. I laugh and try to hide a blush. "Sometimes, I just need some Maxon time." Marlee laughs at me and leads me over to the table. "Let's start eating; I'm sure Maxon will be here any minute." My mom sits on my other side and smiles. "It seems like everything is going well." I nod my head. "Currently it is. What about at home?" I ask. Mom shakes her head and nods to May. I look over to see her talking to Adele's oldest child. "Nolan problems?" I ask. Mom nods her head and looks at me seriously. "I honestly think she's lost her mind. If she's not doing her studies or spending time here, then she's with Nolan. She's only seventeen." I put my hand on my mom's shoulder. "I was seventeen when I joined the selection and eighteen when I got married. Heck, I'm only 20 and I have a child. May's no longer a child. I know it's hard on you to see your baby girl grow up but if she truly believes that she loves this boy and wants to marry him, then you can't stop her. Send her and Nolan over here one day and we'll talk to them. Maxon and I will know if they are truly in love. My mom smiles at me. "Thank you America."

A few minutes later, Maxon strolls into the room with Aspen by his side. The entire room stands and bows. Maxon waves them off and looks at me with a gleam in his eyes. He walks over to me and places a kiss on my cheek as he sits in his seat. "You look lovely my dear." He whispers in my ear. He takes one of my hands in his and kisses it. I blush wildly and pull my hand away. Maxon moves his hand to my leg and winks. "Save it for later." I mutter under my breath, trying to focus on my food. I hear him chuckle and start on his food. I look up to see Adele smiling at us. I blush and turn back to my food. About halfway through dinner a maid comes scurrying into the room. She runs up to me carrying a note. I gently take the note and open it. Maxon peers over my shoulder to read it.

 _Queen America,_

 _Princess Nicoletta called wanting to speak to you. It wasn't urgent and can wait until tomorrow. She wished that you knew of her calling as soon as possible. I'll meet you in the study tomorrow to discuss some things that came up today._

 _Silvia_

I crumple the note and stick it underneath my plate. Maxon looks at me suspiciously. I quirk my eyebrow and turn back to my food. "Last time Nicoletta called, she convinced you to travel to Italy pregnant; I wonder what she wants now." Maxon mumbles. I shake my head and continue dinner.

After dinner we excuse ourselves from our guest who are either planning on heading home or to their chambers. Maxon takes my hand and leads me to the gardens. "It's been a while since we've been on a date." He states as we enter the gardens. "Yes, but it well deserved." I agree. Maxon smiles and turns to face me. He bows in front of me with smirk on his face. "Can I have this dance, my lady?" I laugh loudly. "Maxon, you know after all these years that I still can't dance." Maxon chooses to ignore this and takes my hands, placing one on his shoulder. We slowly start waltzing around the starlight gardens. I place my head on his chest and sway to the beating of his heart. "It seems like you've finally learned how to dance." Maxon chuckles. I swat him gently and place a kiss on his lips. "Thank you." I whisper against his lips. He pulls away and looks at me confused. "For what?" I stand on my tip toes and look him in the eyes. "For choosing me." Maxon shakes his head. "No, thank you for choosing me." He captures my lips with his. He slowly moves his arms around my waist and butt and gently lift me up. I wrap my arms around his neck and continue kissing him. "Shall we move this upstairs?" he asks, mumbling against my lips. I continue kissing him and he takes the hint. He sets me down and wraps and arm around my waist. We start walking through the gardens and into the palace. "Ames." "Yes, Maxon." "Our wedding anniversary is next week." He grins. I look up at him sceptically. "So what are you planning?" I ask, knowing he has something up his sleeve. He grins widely and places a kiss on my forehead. "Well I'm not going to tell you everything but it involves me having the day off." I laugh and swat his arm. "I figured that. You've never work on that day or your birthday." Maxon shrugs. "As King I deserve a day off."

We reach his room and Maxon quickly runs into the room as soon as the guard opens the door. I follow him, tying to ignore the guard laughing at us. He obviously knows what's about to happen. I expect to see Maxon already on the bed but instead he is reading some papers on his desk. I walk over to his and wrap my arms around him from behind. "What are you reading?" I ask, resting my head on his back. I feel him tense up. "Maxon…" I ask tentatively. I let go of him and move to his side. He quickly stuffs the paper into a drawer. He turns and kisses me passionately. His hands move to tangle in my hair. I kick off my heels and start working on the buttons of Maxon's shirt.

I wake up to the sound of knocking at the door that connects the two suites. I look over at Maxon who is still fast asleep and appears to stay that way. I get out of the bed and cover myself up with my robe. I open the door to the suite to see Mary. "I'm so sorry to wake you this early in the morning." I glance at the clock at this statement, 3:14. "I ran out of bottles for the princess and she's quite hungry." I hold up my hand and smile. "Mary it's okay. You're dismissed for the remainder of the morning. I don't want to see you until after 12:00 and I mean it. I can look after the baby and myself." Mary nods and allows me to pass by her. I walk across my suite and into the nursery. I can hear Emmaline's cries as soon as I open the door to the nursery. I lift Emmaline out of her crib and gently rock her in attempt to soothe her. Her cries slowly turn to whimpers. I settle down in the rocking chair and start to feed Emmaline. "How was your night baby girl?" I whisper. "Mine was great. Me and your daddy finally had some alone time." She looks up at me as if she's trying to understand what alone time means. "You'll learn what that is when you're older." I smirk, trying not to think of my baby girl as a teenager. After Emmaline is finished eating, I carrying her into Maxon room quietly. I open the drawer that Maxon had stuffed the paper he was reading earlier into. I grab the paper and quickly realize it's only a budget update. I have nothing to worry about.

"AMERICA!" Nicoletta's squeals fill my study. I rub my head and lean back in my chair. Maxon is laughing in his seat across from me at Nic's incredibly loud voice. "Nicoletta, how's the marriage coming?" She starts laughing and talking to someone else in Italian. "It's great America. Actually Aldo and I are planning to come visit you in Illéa in the fall for a few weeks. I miss you so much and I need to see that little baby again. You haven't been sending enough updates for me." I shake my head as Nic continues to rant. "And it's not even summer yet." Maxon chuckles, staring at me with a huge smile on his face.

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 **So that's chapter three. I hope you like it and are ready for chapter four in a few days. Also keep reviewing and thanks for reading my stories. Until next time**

 **-SelectionGirl0723**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everybody :) So this was suppose to be the second part of a two chapter update but it's a few weeks late... sorry. Anyways here's the next chapter. Hopefully the next one will be up soon. Thanks for the awesome reviews, it means so much to me. So if you haven't noticed is that this story is going to go at a faster pace than the first one. But their will still be tons of family fluff. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

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 **Chapter 4:**

I soak up the summer sun and relax on a patio chair. I kick off my heels and fan out my light green sundress. I push Emmaline's stroller with my foot, back and forth. The smell of the summer flowers in the garden fill my nose. I hear Emmaline cooing in her stroller, Maxon is in a quick meeting before joining my family for a mid-afternoon picnic at their house and everything is peaceful in the palace. I watch a guard walk by as he does his rounds and smiles down into the stroller at Emmaline. Over the past 3 and ½ months all of the staff has fallen in love with Emmaline. I smile at the guard and he bows his head. "Are you in need of anything you're majesty?" he asks. I shake my head and the guard continues his round. I pick up a folder out of my bag and start reading about a charity function in Waverly. I'd much rather read about work out here with Emmaline than in my study with Silvia, who happens to be very grumpy lately. Maybe it's because she still can't find a replacement maid for Mary for the two weeks she'll be on her honeymoon. Maxon has graciously given her and David two weeks off to go to a small cottage just outside the city. Of course it's not far but Maxon believes that Mary deserves a little vacation in thanks for everything she has done for us.

I hear a rustling in the bushes not too far from where I'm sitting. I gently set down the folder on the table beside me. I pull Emmaline's stroller closer to me and put my arms inside, ready to grab her at any moment. "Guards!" I call out. Suddenly a black clothed man jumps from a bush merely 10 feet away from me. I hear the pounding of guard's feet heading towards us. I grab Emmaline from the stroller and take off running towards the palace. I can hear the distance sound of the rebel alarm ringing inside the palace. I hear footsteps behind me and I attempt to run faster. Emmaline is crying in my arms but sadly I have no time to soothe her. Several guards exit the palace from a nearby door and leave it open. I dash by them and enter the palace. I turn to see to black clothes men still chasing me. I run towards what I believe to be the closest safe room. As I go to turn a corner, I hear a gun go off. I attempt to get out of sight of the chasers and open the safe room door quickly. I run into the safe room. I slam the door and flick on a light switch. I look down at Emmaline, who is red in the face from crying, and cradle her close to my chest. I feel a pain in my arm to see that the shooter had successfully been able to catch the side of my arm with a bullet. I swear under my breath. I look around the dimly lighted room to see a small cot and a sink over in the corner. I lay Emmaline down on the cot and grab a towel from the shelf nearby. I soak the towel then press it against my arm. I hiss at the stinging, throbbing pain. I sit next to Emmaline on the cot and run a finger over her cheeks. "Shhh, it's alright now. No one's going to hurt you my love." I whisper. I starting humming a song and her cries start to quiet down. I look at my right arm and see that the white towel is now permanently red. I stand up and put the towel into the sink and wrap another one around my arm. I look on the shelves to see if a first aid kit is present; there is none. I lie back down on the cot and adjust myself around Emmaline so she won't fall off the bed. "I'm sorry you have to experience these attacks sweetheart. If I could stop them forever I would." I cry. Tears start streaming down my face as I watch my beautiful baby girl start to drift off to sleep.

I hear shouting around me and I open my eyes. I must have fallen asleep at one point. I stretch out and look up to see Carter standing above me. "Shit America. You got shot." He turns his head and shouts loudly to someone else. "Run ahead and warn that doctor that the Queen was shot. Also someone find the King." Carter turns back to me. I sit up and notice his shirt is blood stained. Carter notices this and half-smiles. "Don't worry; the guard I carried to the hospital is going to be fine." He picks up Emmaline in his arms and cradles her. "Was she hurt?" he whispers. I shake my head and look down at my feet. "Just emotionally." I whisper. Carter sits beside me on the cot. "It's not your fault America. I shake my head and my vision starts to get blurry. I attempt to stand up but I fall back down. "America?" Carter sounds panicked. "Guards, find Maxon!" That is the last thing I hear before everything turns black.

 **Maxon's P.O.V**

I pace the royal safe room floor for the thousandth time. "Maxon, stop pacing please." She's going to be fine." Marlee encourages. She and Lucy are down here with me. They were in the women's room talking to Mary about her upcoming wedding when the alarm went off. Mary ushered the girls down here while she hid in a smaller safe room. "Marlee, where was she when we were attacked? If she was in her room or in her study then she would've made it down here. She was supposed to be upstairs working on last minute stuff before the picnic. I don't even know where she is or where she was when they attacked." I sit down on a bed and sigh. I run my hands through my hair absent-mindedly. I hear footsteps walk towards me and I feel Marlee's soft hands on my shoulders. "I can't lose her." I choke out before breaking down crying. Marlee rubs my shoulders. "Maxon, I have no clue where my husband is or my son and neither does Lucy. We all have to just trust that everything is okay and that they are safe in safe rooms." I glance at my watch to see that it has been three hours since the alarm first went off. I hear the door of the safe room open and Aspen appears. I stand up and march over to him. "Leger, what happened?" I demand. I feel bad for not letting Lucy hug him before demanding. "We have no clue who they are but there was a lot of them. They came through the gardens dressed all in black. I wasn't there when they first attacked but I heard they were pretty ruthless." He explains. "Where's my family?" I whisper. Aspen looks back and forth between Lucy and the ground. "Leger, I asked you a question!" I holler. "I don't know. No one has seen America since they saw her running from a couple of the attackers by the east side. They didn't notice if Emmaline was with her or not." He whispers. "We assume she was in the gardens when they attacked." He finishes. I grab hold of one the cot headboards for support. "So, she could be dead or captured?" I ask, not wanting the answer to be yes." Aspen sighs and looks me in the eyes. "She very well could be. Carter and I have sent out search parties around the palace to check every safe room. I was heading towards the west side and Carter the east. I stopped by here to let you know that it was safe to come out." He explains. I march past Aspen and up the stairs. I hear Marlee and Lucy whispering as I make my way towards the east side of the palace.

I past the library when all of a sudden I hear guards yelling up ahead. A guard runs towards me in a hurry. "You're Majesty, we found the Queen." I take off running, following the guard. I see one guard holding a crying baby and Carter carrying a still and bloody body. I race towards them. Carter looks up at me with a sad smile. "She was shot but I think she's still alive." Carter starts jogging in the direction of the infirmary. "She was talking to me just a few minutes ago then all of a sudden she blacked out. I think she lost too much blood." He continues. I can't help but to stare at my beautiful wife as I jog beside Carter. I turn around to see several guards following us, one of them carrying Emmaline. I gently take my daughter from his arms and mouth "thank you".

We enter the infirmary and several nurses run up to us. "Take her to the private room." One of them screams. I follow Carter into the room and he gently lays her on the bed. One of the nurses start hooking America up to machines while another runs for Dr. Cole. I stand beside the bed holding Emmaline in one arm and taking America's limp hand. "Please be okay darling." I whisper. Dr. Cole bursts into the room and starts yelling instructions. He turns to me with a sympathetic smile and says "I'm sorry you're Majesty but you need to leave the room." I shake my head and place a kiss on America's hand. "I love you." I walk out of the room and sit down on a chair outside. As if she understands what is going on, Emmaline starts to cry loudly. I cradle her against my chest and place a kiss on her head. "It's going to be okay baby girl. Mommy is going to be alright."

An hour passed since we found America in that safe room. Marlee came down after 15 minutes and took Emmaline upstairs to calm her and put her down for a nap. Carter and Aspen are currently interrogating the men captured. Magda was called by Marlee earlier and was told what happened. I haven't heard or see her yet but knowing her, she'll show up soon. I lean back in the uncomfortable infirmary chair. Right now all I can believe is that no news is good news. I have no clue what I would do if I lost America. I hope for the best since she was only shot in the arm. The door to the infirmary opens and Mary walks in with a tray of food. "You're Majesty, I know you're upset but you need to eat something." She looks at me sadly and places the tray on the small table beside me. The smell of the soup makes me feel sick to my stomach. "Sorry Mary but I don't think I can eat right now." I whisper. Mary sits in the seat beside me. "King Maxon, I understand how you feel." She states, staring straight ahead of her. I remain quiet, waiting for her to continue. "Ever since she first came to the palace I knew she was strong. She fought so hard during your selection, at first to leave but then she fell for you. As her maids, Lucy Anne and I, we helped her as much as we could. She was the ideal queen, even now. She may not be able to see it but she's the best queen we've ever had. No offense to your mother who was magnificent but America has so much determination. I feel as though lately she doesn't feel that way." Mary rambles on. I try to listen but Mary's voice starts to drift off. Suddenly she stands up and brushes dirt off of her uniform. "You better eat that soup while it's still hot." She says before leaving the room.

Shortly after Mary leaves the door of the private room opens. Dr. Cole steps out of the room and turns to face me. "You're majesty; I have some news for you." He states, taking a seat beside me. "America will live but she lost a lot of blood. I believe that all the stress that has been put on her lately hasn't been helping with her overall health. She's going to need to rest for a few days. I suggest, once she up and feeling better, that she goes to the royal vacation house with the baby. She'll be safe there from the angry castes and she'll be able to get some much needed rest." I nod my head and process the idea. America will be safer at the private home rather than here in the palace. "Can I see her?" I ask, impatiently tapping my foot. Dr. Cole nods and nods towards the room. "She's asleep right now but she should wake up soon." I stand up from my seat and walk into America's room. As soon as I enter, I see her fiery red hair tied up in a bun on top of her head. I take a seat beside her bed and taker her hand in mine. I place a kiss on her hand and sigh loudly. "America, darling, please wake up." I whisper. I stay like that for a while before I hear her start to move. I squeeze her hand as she slowly opens her beautiful blue eyes.

 **America's P.O.V:**

A bright light blinds me as I open my eyes. I don't know where I am or how I got here. Last I remember is talking to Carter in the safe room. I attempt to sit up but my attempts are stop by a strong hand on my shoulder. "Lay down Ames, you need to rest." A soft voice whispers. I look over and make eye contact with warm brown eyes. "Maxon?" I ask softly, my voice hoarse. Maxon kisses my forehead. He nods his head and hands me a glass of water from the bedside table. As I drink some water Maxon slowly explains to me what happened since I passed out. At some point we adjust on the bed so that I'm leaning up against Maxon's chest. When Maxon finishes telling the story, I place a kiss on his neck. "So what's going to happen now?" I ask; half scared of the answer. Maxon sighs and places a kiss in my hair. "Well you're going to move up to your suite once the doctor okays it. And then you're going to rest and heal for a few days. Finally you and the baby are going to the vacation house for a few days for some mommy-baby bonding." "Why?" I ask, stunned at his answer. "Because Dr. Cole recommended it. You have been way too stressed for over a month now and it's not healthy for you or the baby. It's only for a few days." He reassures. I sigh and lean back against him and slowly close my eyes. "I'm going to take a nap" I whisper. I feel Maxon's lips on my cheek after he whispers in my ear. "I'll be here when you wake up."

I wake up to the sound of a door opening. I look up to see Maxon holding Emmaline in his arms. "Hi baby girl." I smile. Maxon bounces her up and down and kisses her cheek. "Is she hungry." I ask, adjusting in the bed in order to feed Emmaline without hurting my arm. "No, Mary found some bottled milk to feed her not too long ago." He explains. I lie back down on the bed and sigh loudly. "How long has it been since the attack?" I ask. Maxon looks at the clock and makes a face. "Five hours since it's been over and you were found." He replies. "Can I hold her?" I ask, nodding to my baby girl. Maxon sits down next to me on the bed and sets Emmaline in my non injured arm, adjusting her just right. I kiss Emmaline on her forehead as she giggles and plays with the small toy in her hand. "Do you think she's okay?" I ask, not meaning physically harmed. Maxon kisses me and looks down at his daughter. "She won't remember this attack but if they become regular and she's grows up with it like I did; she'll get used to them by the time she takes the throne." Maxon's face grows dim. "I always wished my children would be safe here in the palace. I don't want my children to go through what I went through." He mutters. I sit there silently as he continues to ramble on. I eventually place my hand on his knee to get his attention. "Maxon, you need to understand that you can't control these things. I'm sure we'll find a way to appease the castes soon and this will all be over before the fall." I smile. Maxon face lights up a bit. "Of course my darling."

It's been a week since the attack and the day has come for me to go on vacation. "Maxon, I honestly don't understand why you're forcing me to the vacation home. I haven't been there since our honeymoon." I argue, watching Mary and Paige pack my suitcase. I pace the floor of my suite while Maxon is sitting in a chair. Maxon sighs and continues to bounce Emmaline on his knee. "Ames, I already went over this with you last night. It's not safe here and it's too stressful. Dr. Cole recommended that you take a break. It'll be good for you to spend a week relaxing and spending time with our little princess." He smiles. He places a kiss on Emmaline's cheek, causing her to laugh. I sigh and try to smooth out the wrinkles in my blue sundress. "Here you're highness, wear this hat. It's going to be hot at the vacation home." Paige smiles, as she adjusts the large hat on my head. She fixes my hair and smiles at her masterpiece. "There now you're ready for anything. 'Not anything.' I think to myself. Mary comes out of my closet with the last bag. "Everything's packed, you're ready to go." I nod my head and look to Maxon. "Ladies, I'll meet you downstairs. I'd like some time with my family." The two curtsey and leave quickly. Maxon stands up from his seat, setting Emmaline in her play chair. I cross my arms and glare at Maxon. "Ames, don't do this." He pleas. Tears fill my eyes. "Maxon, I don't want to leave here. I don't understand why you're sending me away." "I'm not sending you away Ames; I'm trying to protect you. The attackers shot you and almost killed you. I just don't want you to get hurt." He pulls me into his arm and holds me tight. "Also I think you deserve a vacation from all the chaos around here. Emmaline will enjoy some one on one mommy time." He smiles, nodding to Emmaline. She looks at us with a grin on her face. "It's only a week Ames. You also have Paige and Marlee to keep you company. I've heard a rumour that you're mom and May might pay you a visit later in the week. I'm sure you'll have a good time." I lean against Maxon and consider if the vacation would be a good idea. I look up at him and give him a small smile. "Are you going to be okay here?" I ask, not wanting him to be lonely or get hurt. "I'll be fine Ames, I'm pretty sure Carter mentioned something about a proper bachelor party." He winks. I slap him and stick my tongue out at him. "You're such a guy." I mutter. Maxon laughs and flexes his muscles. "I'm joking Ames; I'll probably just work out and get even more handsome for when you come back." He pulls me in for a lingering kiss. "Well it's good you're working out. I think you've had too much dessert lately." I joke, leaving his arms and walking over towards my vanity. "I haven't had that much." Maxon whines, pretending to be offended by my comment. I laugh and stare at my reflection in the mirror. My hair is done in a fancy bun underneath my blue floppy hat. I'm wearing bright red lipstick that stands out against my pale skin and blue outfit. I feel beautiful today. Maxon walks up behind me and wraps his arms around me. "You are stunning my beautiful, sexy, wife." He whispers in my ear. I turn and kiss him passionately. "I better get going. The quicker I leave the easier it'll be for me to leave." I state Maxon nods and lifts Emmaline up. "Be good for mommy princess, she's on vacation." I laugh and fix the white bow in her hair. "She'll be a perfect little angel." Maxon chuckles and kisses her head. Her blond hair is starting to grow longer and her eyes are only getting bluer. She's wearing a matching blue dress as mine with little white booties to match her bow. "I'm going to miss my girls." Maxon whispers, cradling Emmaline to his chest. "It's only a few days." I state, looking at my perfect little family.

I open the door to the vacation house and see that it hasn't changed much since we were here 2 years ago. The entire house is beach theme, with blue, white and orange accents everywhere. The entire main floor, which consists of kitchen, dining room and living space, is all open concept. Upstairs there are 5 bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. Apparently Clarkson had it built for his honeymoon with Amberly. It's obvious Amberly did the designing with all the décor. "Welcome to the royal vacation house." I call out. Marlee follows me in carrying Kile and Paige carrying some bags. Paige is the only maid we brought with us and even she's supposed to relax this week. I turn to see Marlee in absolute awe. "It's gorgeous here and the view makes it twenty times better." She walks over to the French doors opening up to the beach. I laugh and follow her, carrying Emmaline in my arms. "Marlee, let's unpack and then stare at the beach." I smirk. We head upstairs and into our respective rooms. I open the door to the master suite, where I and Maxon stayed during our honeymoon. Since then a crib has been placed in here as well as a rocking chair. I sit Emmaline in the crib and she immediately starts yawning. I start opening bags and quickly find her blanket. I settle her down and she quickly falls asleep. I quietly close the door and return downstairs. Marlee must be still upstairs since Paige is the only one around. I walk over to the French doors and look around the beach. It brings back memories of young love and being carefree. I kick off my heels and walk down to the beach. I put my feet into the cool water and sigh. 'It feels good to be back'. I watch as the waves rush up the shore as the midday sun is high in the sky. I hear someone walking up behind me and I turn to see Marlee. "How's the water?" I laugh and kick my feet up, hitting her in the legs with the cool water. Her mouth drops in shock and she runs past me into the water splashing me. I listen to her laughing as she stands in the water knee deep waiting for me to join her. It amazes me how much has happened since the day I met her. Now years later we are married and have children. "Hey Woodwork, you better watch out." I scream, running in after her. Marlee takes off into the water, swimming farther out. "Schreave, I hope you know how to swim." She replies, now almost neck deep in the water. I swim out towards her, with the knowledge that I am ruining my perfectly good dress, and tackle her underneath the water. "Looks like the Queen is tough after all." Marlee teases, as she rises up above the waves. I splash her and we continue acting like children as if they are no worries in the world.

"Ames." May calls out as she walks in the house. I'm currently sitting in a chair rocking Emmaline to sleep. She's been fussy all day and last night. Marlee and Paige rush to the door to quiet my incoming family and help them with their luggage. "America it busy with the baby right now. It hasn't been a good day." I hear Marlee whisper. A few moments of attempting to soothe Emmaline's whimpers, I feel someone's hand on my shoulder. I look up to see my mother giving me a sad smile. "Let me help." She holds out her arms and I reluctantly hand her Emmaline. She starts walking around the room while singing softly. I relax in the chair and smooth out the wrinkles in my nightgown. "Paige." I call out as I watch my mother walk outside, still singing to her granddaughter. "Yes, America?" "Can you make some coffee for me and my mother?" I ask. Paige nods and quickly heads into the kitchen. May comes and sits down on the couch across from me. "How's it going May?" I ask, smiling at my little sister. "Well since you asked, I broke up with Nolan last night." She sighs, tears building in her eyes. I move over to sit beside her and pull her in for a hug. "What happened?" May takes a deep breath before answering. "Well a few days ago, we were at his house alone since his parents were out visiting someone. Anyways that's beside the point. We were in his room kissing and he wanted to go farther and break rules. I didn't want to and he kept pushing me saying that you would just pardon us if we got caught. I ended up storming out of his house before anything happened and I haven't talked to him since and I don't plan on it." She cries. I hold her tight as she cries into my shoulder. Paige walks over with the coffee and sets it on the table in front of us. I mouth a thank you before directing my attention to my broken hearted sister. "May, it's going to be okay. Nolan was a jerk and he was changing you as well. You deserve better than that idiot." I soothe. May looks up at me and sighs loudly. "Why can't I just find a decent guy?" I laugh and move her hair out of her face. "You'll find him one day. That day just isn't today. You're only seventeen. You have your entire life ahead of you." May hugs me tight and picks up my cup of coffee. "Thanks sis." She smiles. "I'm going to go unpack upstairs." She takes off upstairs along with my coffee. I sigh and take my mother's instead. A few minutes' later mom returns to the room with Emmaline fast asleep in her arms. "Thank you." I whisper, taking Emmaline from her and steering towards the stairs. "America, you should get some sleep." My mom whispers strictly. "You need to take care of yourself too." I nod and head upstairs where the Schreave girls take much needed naps.

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 **So that happened. _Seloction1015,_ you were right about her being shot. I already had that part of the chapter written when i got the review. Keep reviewing guys and i'll have the next chapter up as soon as possible :) Until next time **

**-SelectionGirl0723**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello everyone, sorry about the long wait but the chapter is finally here!**

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 **Chapter 5:**

As guards open the main doors for me I can feel the tension within the palace walls and for the first time in years, the palace feels like a cage to me again. The freedom of the vacation home has been a dream. Tallie, who just happens to be near the door, scurries over to me and takes the bag I had in my hands while curtsying. "You're Majesty, welcome home." She cheers. "Thank you Tallie." I nod my head and turn to see Officer Brennan carrying Emmaline's stroller up the stairs of the palace. He sets the stroller down beside me. "Is there anything else you need my Queen?" He asks. I lift Emmaline out of the stroller and hold her against my chest. "The stroller can be put away and please make sure that my entire luggage is placed in my suite." I smile. Brennan nods and gets straight to work. I turn back to Tallie, who is still standing with my bag. "Tallie, do you happen to know where the King is currently at?" I ask, looking around at the otherwise empty room. "I haven't seen him all morning you're Majesty." She replies. "Would you like me to fetch you some lunch?" I shake my head and adjust Emmaline to my hip. "I'm fine Tallie. Could you let Mary and Silvia know that I have returned home?" Tallie nods and scurries away on her mission. "Let's go find daddy." I cheer to Emmaline, who just happens to be amused with my hair at the moment.

I walk into Maxon's study on a guess that he is in there. All I find is an uneaten breakfast tray and papers stacked up on his desk. I walk around the desk and look at a couple papers to see that they are all budget and army updates. Emmaline goes to grab for the papers but I quickly move her away from them. "No touchy." I scold, bouncing her on my hip. The door opens and Maxon walks in shirtless and sweating. His face is filled with happiness and surprise when he first notices me. "My darling, welcome home." He smiles as he pulls me in for a hug. "I thought you weren't coming back until later today." I give him a kiss and answer. "There is supposed to be a storm tonight at the house so we decided to leave earlier." Maxon takes Emmaline into his arms and places kisses on her cheek. "Hello princess." Emmaline laughs and smiles at her father. Maxon tickles her and sits down in his chair. "So where were you at? The maids had no clue where you were when I arrived." I ask, sitting down in the chair across from him. Maxon's eyes don't leave Emmaline as he replies. "I was working out. I had a stressful meeting earlier and I needed to get my anger out." I nod my head and relax in the chair. "So what has happened since I left?" He looks up at me and cradles Emmaline, who is starting to yawn. "Well there haven't been any attacks anywhere in the country. Aspen recruited a lot of young men to be trained as soldiers and guards. Also the budgets are nowhere near where they are supposed to be." I sigh and look at Emmaline who is half asleep in Maxon's arms. "Well it's better than when I left." I mutter. Maxon chuckles and stands up. "I think this little lady needs a nap." He nods towards Emmaline. I follow him out of his study and into the nursery. I stand in the doorway, watching Maxon tuck his daughter into her crib. Once he's sure Emmaline is content, he walks back over to me. "I have a few hours to spare until the next meeting if you want to relax?" he whispers. I nod my head and Maxon leads me down the hall to his room.

As soon as we enter Maxon's suite we lock the door and crawl into bed with nothing but our undergarments on. Maxon curls up behind me and places kisses on my neck, cheek and hair. "I missed you." He whispers into my hair. "It's only been a week." Maxon moves to my neck and mutters "A week too long." I laugh and turn to face him. I see a mischievous look in his eyes and smile. "Well we better make up for lost time while we can." Maxon winks as me and kisses me passionately.

"Here America, the papers for the new school system in Carolina needs you're signature. Also if you find a moment Mary needs to see you for new dress fitting measurements. The King's birthday is next month and you'll need a new gown before Mary leaves. Also while you were on vacation these packages came to you from the Northern provinces. I didn't recognize the address but Officer Leger said they were safe." Silvia rambles on. I sigh and lean back in my chair. My study desk is full of import stuff that needs my attention. "Silvia!" I holler interrupting her list of stuff I have to do. She looks at me stunned and stops talking. "Why don't you just write me a list of all the things you just said and take to rest of the day off?" I suggest. Silvia frowns and remains speechless. I sigh knowing she won't leave until I force her. I stand up from my chair and smile at her. "You're excused Silvia." I state. Silvia looks shocked but picks up a notepad and pen before curtsying. "Of course Queen America. I'll be back in a few moments with your list." She quickly leaves the room and I collapse onto my chair. I start signing some papers and maybe get through three of them before there is a knock on my door. "Come in." I groan, not wanting to be bothered. The door opens to reveal to Lucy and her 7 month pregnancy belly. "Lucy!" I squeal running up to wrap her in a hug. I place my hands on her belly and feel a light kick. "It's an active baby." I laugh. Lucy nods in laughter. "It seems to be more so at night than the day." I lead Lucy over to my desk and we sit down. "So how is the pregnancy going? I haven't seen you much lately and Aspen only tell me bits and pieces." Lucy rubs her stomach and smiles. "Well it's a strange feeling to have someone inside of you but we are so excited for our little one to arrive. Just the other day we got a package from Lena with some homemade baby clothes in it and a baby blanket. I can't believe we only have a few more months to go." "It goes by quick but after they're born goes by quicker." I state. Lucy looks around the room in curiosity. "Where is the princess?" "She's with Maxon at a meeting. He thought that if she went with him then the meeting would be less boring and stressful for him." I roll my eyes knowing that even Emmaline won't help at meetings. "At this rate she'll be ready to take the throne at age 5." Lucy jokes. "Don't let Maxon hear you say that. Her taking the crown means a selection and we all know that he doesn't want that to happen" I laugh. Lucy smiles and rubs her belly. "I can imagine him being a little overprotective once she's a teenager. I feel like Aspen will be the same way if we have a girl." I grin and nod. "I think the two of them will have a new committee made just to ensure that our daughters don't date." "I don't doubt it even for a moment."

"Maxon, can you hand me the purple dress hanging up in the closet." I holler from my spot at the vanity. I hear Maxon sigh as he exits his room and enters my mess of a closet. Today is Mary's wedding day and I'm ecstatic. She deserves this happy ending. I'm attempting to do my own make-up, since my maids all have the day off today, when a high pitched squeal causes me to smudge mascara all over my face. "Maxon, where's Emmaline?" I call out. He steps out of the closet holding 5 different purple dresses. "I don't know; I'm trying to figure out what purple dress you want out of the 1000 dresses you own." He sasses. I give Maxon a glare before standing up from my seat. "The dress I want is hanging up on the hook closest to the door. Also I told you to watch Emmaline while I got ready. She's barely 4 months old and can't walk, how did you lose her?" I demand. Maxon shrugs and goes back into the closet saying "She's in her play-chair in my suite." I walk over to Maxon's suite and see Emmaline giggling and playing with a toy. I pick her up out of the chair and kiss her cheek. "Daddy left you alone in here." I coo "He's wasn't thinking now was he?" Emmaline grabs at my robe and I quickly get the hint that she's hungry. I sit down on Maxon bed and start feeding her when Maxon walks in with the correct dress. "You're the one who called me to go find your dress." He states. I smile at my beautiful baby girl and look into her bright blue eyes. "I'm going to get ready and then I'll take her so you can get ready." I look up and notice that Maxon is still wearing a casual outfit rather than his suit. I nod and Maxon sets the dress down on a chair and heads towards his bathroom. I finish feeding Emmaline and pick up my dress before heading back into my suite. I set Emmaline down in her playpen before heading into my closet to put on the dress. It's a plum coloured dress that flows down to my knees. It has spaghetti straps and a jewelled belt around my waist. Mary picked out the dress at a small little boutique when she was shopping for her wedding dress. She bought one for both me and Lucy as we are her bridesmaids. I come out of the closet and attempt to fix my smudge make-up. I watch Emmaline in the mirror as she attempts to fit her whole hand in her mouth. "I still have to get you dressed." I mutter. I quickly put on my shoes and head into the nursery with Emmaline in my arms. I quickly change her diaper and put her in a sweet little creamed coloured dress with a purple bow. I set a little purple ribbon in her growing blond hair. Maxon walks into the room and smiles. "My beautiful girls." I blush and place a kiss on Emmaline's cheek. "She's a perfect mixture of us both." I nod in agreement and bounce her on my hip. "Let's just hope she keeps your temper." I mumble. Maxon laughs at this and gives me a quick kiss. "For the sake of the country." He winks. "Mary's waiting for us." I sigh looking at the clock. Maxon wraps an arm around my waist and we start walking out of the nursery towards the gardens.

I approach Mary who is standing with Lucy at the door to the gardens. David is waiting for her in the gardens with a couple of his guard friends and Maxon. "You look stunning" I gush, pulling her in for a hug. Mary blushes and smooth's out her dress. Her gorgeous dress is a full lace gown with off shoulder straps. She made it herself and I can't wait for David to see it. I brush one of her curls out of her face and grin. "You're the most beautiful bride." Mary shakes her head and giggles. "I doubt that but thank you." I hear music start to play and Maxon pops his head in the door. "Anytime you're ready." He smiles and heads back out with the men. "You ready?" Lucy asks, heading towards the door. Mary looks as if she's holding back tears and she whispers "yes". I smile widely and start walking out the door. Lucy is the maid of honour and waits with Mary as I walk down the aisle first. I turn the corner walk towards David where is grinning with his best friend by his side. The wedding is small with only about 20 people. Most of the guests are fellow staff members of the bride and groom, with the exception of David's parents, and the royal family. I see Maxon sitting down on a chair in the front row with Paige beside him holding Emmaline. His face is priceless as he watches me walk down the aisle. I slowly make my way past the guests and up to stand at the front. I watch Lucy come down the aisle next, attempting to cover her bump with the bouquet of lilies. Aspen watches her in awe as she stands beside me grinning. The music changes tempo as Mary comes into view. I see David's jaw drop out of the corner of my eye as he sees his bride for the first time. Mary appears to float down the aisle with the biggest grin on her face. Everyone in the room stares in awe as Mary walks up to David. His eyes haven't left hers the entire time and the couple are left smiling as the ceremony starts.

"Come on America, one more dance" Maxon pleas, motioning to the dance floor. The wedding party started several hours ago and I'm pretty sure I've danced well over half of the time. I look down at Emmaline in my arms; who is yawning up a storm. "I can watch the princess, I can't dance anymore." Lucy cheers from her seat beside me. "See America, you have no excuse now. And I promise after this dance we can go upstairs." I smile and hand Emmaline over to Lucy. Maxon takes my hand and leads me onto the dance floor. We start dancing slowly. "You would think that after 2 years as Queen I would learn how to dance." I joke, as I step on Maxon's foot. He chuckles and pulls me closer. "We'll make sure you take the dancing lessons with Emmaline when she's old enough. But until then I'll continue to wear thick shoes." He places a kiss on my forehead and hums along to the music. "The happy couple seem to be having fun." He remarks. I look over at Mary and David twirling around, laughing and smiling. "I hope everything works out for them." I pray. "Mary really deserves the best for what she's done for me over the years." We continue to dance, watching the happy couple start saying their goodbyes. The song ends just as the newlyweds walk up to us. "Oh America, thank you for everything." Mary gushes as she pulls me in for a hug. "Mary, you deserved this and the honeymoon." "Yes, thank you You're Majesties. We are very much grateful." David shakes Maxon's hand and kisses mine. "Not a problem, enjoy the week." A cry interrupts our conversation and I quickly turn to where Lucy is with a screaming Emmaline. I rush over and take the baby from Lucy. "I think she's just overtired." Lucy explains. "I tried to comfort her but she wasn't having it." I nod my head sympathetically. "She's quite particular when she's tired." Maxon appears beside me. "I think it's time we go upstairs and put the princess to sleep." "I think so." I agree, Emmaline crying into my shoulder. "Yes I think I might retire to a guest room upstairs. Aspen is talking to guard buddies and this little one is kicking." Lucy winces, rubbing her side. The group of us leave the smaller party room and head to our rooms.

There you go sweetie." I coo, settling Emmaline in her crib. Her sweet blue eyes slowly close as she snuggles into her blanket. I stoke her head and hum a lullaby. Maxon walks in quietly and stifles a laugh. "Ames, are you comfy on the floor?" I nod from my seat on the floor. Maxon sits beside me and smiles at his sleeping daughter. "It's moments like this that I'm glad I went through with the selection." He whispers. "Me too."

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 **I hope you all liked the chapter. I'm not sure when the next one will be up but it won't take as long as this one did. Thank you all for reading, it means so much to me. Until next time**

 **-SelectionGirl0723**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey Readers :) Thank you all so much for your constant support. It's amazing that so many of you are still reading my stories and look for updates. Now that school is over for the year you can expect that updates will be quicker. Also I LOVED THE CROWN. I'm so happy that the series ended the way it did. I'm not going to spoil anything for people who haven't read it yet. I finished it within three hours after buying it the day it came out. So feel free to pm me with your thoughts on it. Anyways here's the chapter.**

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 **Chapter 6:**

"Astra, honey please settle down." I call out to the three year old who is running frantically around the women's room. The little red head keep jumping on and off furniture. Marlee nudges me from her seat beside me. "She's just excited for her little brother or sister to finally be here." She laughs, watching Kile attempt to keep up with Astra. I sigh and adjust Emmaline in my arms, who, at the moment, is amused with her rattle. "Well Kenna has only been in labour for an hour so it'll probably be a while yet."

Astra continues to run around despite my pleas to get her to sit down. "Let's color in your coloring book." I suggest, handing Emmaline to Marlee. I walk over to where Astra is crawling under a table and crouch down beside it. "Princesses and Princes color." Astra looks up at me at this statement. "Really auntie Ames?" "Yes Honey, uncle Maxon coloured all the time when he was a prince. Now let's go color sweetie. Kile you can join us." I stand up and walk over to the table with the coloring books and crayons already laid out. Both toddlers run over and take a seat at the table. Marlee walks over as I get each kid set up. "If only you could calm the upper castes with coloring books." She jokes, cradling Emmaline in her arms. "If only."

Coloring kept the kids calm for about 10 minutes and then they started running around again. I sit down on the couch and sigh loudly. "I'm just going to let them wear themselves out and hopefully they'll crash soon." Marlee laughs and bounces Emmaline on her knee. "At least this one is staying calm today." She places a kiss on Emmaline's cheek. "Yeah, you should have seen her this morning when Maxon was watching her. I was trying to get ready for the day so Maxon offered to watch her. I forgot I haven't fed her yet and she cried the entire time I was getting ready. Maxon literally tried everything to calm her down but she wasn't having it." "And let me guess." Marlee jumps in "the moment you held her she stopped crying and was happier than ever." I nod and smile. "Of course, she is my daughter." Emmaline smiles up at me and reaches out for me. "Come here baby girl." I coo, taking her from Marlee and kissing her tummy. "She looks so much like you America. She's like a mini you with blonde hair." "Really? I only see Maxon in her." "Well let's hope she has his calmness." Marlee jokes.

A cry interrupts our thoughts and I look over to see Kile rubbing his forehead with tears streaming down his cheeks. Marlee runs over and comforts her son. Astra runs over and crawls up on to the couch beside me. "Is Kile okay?" she asks quietly, tears threating to fall. "He'll be alright sweetie." Marlee smiles. Kile is in her arms, crying into her shoulder. "He just bumped his head. I'm sure once he lies down with some ice on it he'll be ready to play again. America, I'm going to go back to my room for a little while, are you good with her." She nods towards Astra. I nod and wave her off. "We'll be fine here." I smile.

Marlee leaves and Astra looks up at me with curious eyes. "What are we going to do now Auntie Ames?" Emmaline stirs in my arms and yawns. "Well, let's go up to Emmaline's room and you can help me put her down for a nap and then we can read stories in my room until dinner." Astra smiles and jumps off the couch. "Let's go Emmy, its nap time." She cheers, running towards the door. I stand up and adjust Emmaline onto my hip. I open the door and Astra runs into the hall. "Here honey, take my hand and we'll walk up together."

We reach the nursery slow but surely. I change Emmaline out of her dress and into a light onesie. "Astra honey can you grab Emmy's blanket from the crib?" I sit in the rocker chair and cradle Emmaline in my left arm. Astra pulls the blanket through the bars of the crib and brings it over to me. I lift Astra onto my lap and cover Emmaline with the blanket. I start rocking the chair and I sing a lullaby to the girls in my arms. Within 2 minutes Emmaline is asleep and Astra is starting to yawn. Mission complete.

"How's my beautiful bride?" Maxon calls out as he enters my suite. I look up from my spot on the floor where I and Astra are doing puzzles. "Well I haven't been a bride in several years but I am doing well." He places a kiss on top of my head and lifts Astra into the air. "Why do we owe the pleasure of babysitting this red haired girl?" Astra laughs loudly and she's turned upside down. "Kenna's in labour so I offered to watch her for the time being." I explain as Maxon sets Astra back down on the ground. "So that's why Silvia looked so busy today, the Queen took the day off." He smirks "The perks of being Queen and an adoring aunt." I laugh. "Hey Astra, I think supper is ready, want to go down to the dining room?" Maxon asks while tickling her. Astra attempts to reply between laughs but simply can't. "I'll meet you two down there, I have to wake and feed the princess." I state as I head towards the nursery.

I walk into the dining room and see my mother, May and Gerad, sitting at the table. "When did you guys get here?" I ask walking over to hug my mom. "We arrived at the palace an hour ago but we stayed at the hospital wing with Kenna." "How's she doing?" I ask taking my seat beside Maxon. "She's taking her time." Mom smiles. "It'll probably late tonight before we see the baby." "My baby sister!" Astra yells with a mouthful of food. "Or brother." I reply. "Astra, you know better than to yell with food in your mouth or yell at the table." My mother scolds. Astra sulks and goes back to eating her peas. "Remember Astra, the baby could be a boy like Kile." Maxon explains, smiling at the young girl. Astra nods but doesn't look up from her plate. "Ames, where's Emmy?" May asks, looking around her youngest niece. "She's upstairs with Paige." Paige has taken over all Mary's duties until she returns from her honeymoon later this week. "I could watch her for a little while you go visit Kenna." May suggests, looking between me and Maxon. "Well May, you would also have to watch Astra since we are babysitting. Also I'm sure Kenna doesn't need us down there while she's trying to deliver a child." Maxon explains. May nods and turns to me "Well anytime you need a sitter Ames let me know." She smiles. I nod and turn my attention back to my food.

"Astra, let's go get a bath." I suggest as she jumps on the bed. She shakes her head and continues to jump around. "Maxon, can you help me?" I plea. He looks up from his seat and smirks. "I think you got this under control." I walk over and take Emmaline out of his arms. "Go get your niece off the bed and I'll bath her." I demand. I take a seat and watch the scene before me. Astra has jumped off the bed and is now running away from Maxon, laughing loudly. "Yeah you have this under control." I sass. Maxon shakes his head and continues to chase Astra. He finally catches her once he manages to corner her. "Ah ha, missy. Now it's time for a bath." He carries her into the bathroom, with her squealing and laughing. "Let's go Emmy. I need to go give your cousin a bath."

"Rub a dub dub." I sing, sitting beside the tub. "Amesy?" "Yes, honey?" Astra fumbles her rubber duck in her hand and looks to me. "When can I see mommy?" I sigh and run a hand through her wet mane of hair. "Tomorrow morning." I reply quietly. "Why not tonight? I want to see mommy." Astra whines. I smile sadly at her and stand up. "Well you know how mommy had a baby in her tummy? Now she needs to get the baby out and that takes a long time sometimes." I lift Astra out of the tub and wrap her in a warm towel. "So mommy is going to get the baby tonight and you are going to stay with me for the night." Astra nods and smiles. "Can we have cookies for a bedtime snack?" I laugh and place a kiss on her nose. "Chocolate or Oatmeal?"

The plate of cookies crumbs is discarded at the end of the bed and the lights are dimed down. "And they lived happily ever after." I close the book and look down beside me. Sweet little Astra is curled up against me fast asleep. I hear the door to the nursery crack open and Maxon's head pop through. "Is she sleeping?" He whispers. I nod and he comes over and holds her as I slip out from underneath Astra. I grab a blanket and lay it over her and Maxon arranges her safely on my bed. "Sweet dreams." I place a kiss on Astra's head and walk to the nursery with Maxon.

"Did you get Emmaline to go to sleep?" I ask as he closes the door. "No she's being stubborn for daddy today." I laugh and lean over the crib where Emmaline is smiling up at me. "Princess, you need to sleep." I pick her up and she smiles even bigger. "I think she got a second wind." Maxon smiles, wrapping his arms around my waist. I nod and place kiss on Emmy's head. Maxon starts swaying and humming a random tune. "And I thought Astra was going to be the one refusing to sleep." I feel Maxon chuckle as he kisses my cheek. "Oh Emmaline is just stubborn like her mother." "That's what people keep telling me." "Oh America, just look at the bright side. She'll be pretty joyful to have around once she can walk and talk." I laugh look down at my bright eyed baby girl. "Don't wish her to be older Maxon. Next thing you know it she'll be flirting with foreign princes." Maxon turns me and around and looks at Emmaline in the eyes. "No flirting or dating until you're 30 Princess." "Maxon, you're not even thirty yet." I glare, bouncing Emmaline. "Honey, you can date when you turn 16 and not a day sooner." I state, smirking at Maxon. "Hey lady, I'm the King I make the rules." Maxon beams. I point a finger at Maxon and give him a joking glare. "The day you give birth to a child is the day you can make the dating rules." Maxon laughs and kisses me. "Alright darling. I can't argue with the Queen."

A knock comes from the door. "Come in." I call out. Gerad comes into the room with a smile on his face. "Kenna had the baby." He cheers. I smile widely and look down to Emmaline. "You have another cousin Emmy. Gerad, what's the gender?" He looks ecstatic which means one thing. It's a boy.

"Oh Kenna, he's so adorable." I cry, walking into her private room. Kenna looks up at me with tears in her eyes. "Thanks sis. He looks so much like his daddy already." As I get closer to her and the bundle in her arms I can clearly see that the baby does indeed look like James. "Congratulations Kenna." I pull her in for a side hug. "And James." I add looking up at the proud father. "No, give all your praise to Kenna, she deserves it since she was the one to deliver him." I smiles widely and look back to the baby. "So what's his name?" I ask as Kenna hands me the baby to hold. "Leo." She whispers.

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 **I know that this chapter was kinda anti climatic but I thought it was quite lovely before a dramatic chapter (hint hint). Anyways the next chapter should be up before the end of the month. Thank you all for the reviews and for reading. You guys are the best. :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey Readers :) So sorry about the late update. I've been working straight for the past month and haven't had much time to write or edit. If you haven't had a chance to check it out, I've started a one shot story surrounding my two stories, "Life At A Glance". Anyways here's chapter 7.**

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 **Chapter 7**

"Maxon, can you please pass me her blanket?" I ask over Emmaline's cries. Maxon sighs and goes across the room to where the blanket is currently perched on the vanity. I cradle Emmaline against my chest, rocking her back and forth. "She never cried this much during the past four months. " Maxon complains as he hands me the blanket. "Oh I'm sorry, did she disrupt your sleep last night? Because the way I remember the past 12 hours was you sleeping and me dealing with her crying." I snap, wrapping Emmaline in her blanket. Maxon says nothing but shakes his head. I watch him walk over to the bathroom and grab his tie off the counter. "I'm sorry, I'm just tired." I whisper. Emmaline continues to weep and fuss in my arms. I rearrange her to face forward and try slightly bouncing to calm her. "I know my darling, I'm sure she'll settle down soon." He walks over and places a kiss on my forehead. "I'm heading to my study before going to the budget meeting; just in case you need me." Maxon mutters. I shake my head and look down at my fussy girl. "Okay" I whisper, hearing the door close behind him.

I manage to calm Emmaline a little by singing to her but not for long. "Oh Emmy, I know you feel miserable." I sigh, laying her down on the bed. "This cold should be over soon." Yesterday afternoon Emmaline came down with a fever. Of course I panicked and went to Dr. Cole immediately but he reassured me that it was only a slight cold and gave her some medication to help her feel better. Emmaline cries louder and kicks her little feet at me. "Oh sweetie, you're going to be fine." I whisper. I hear the door open and see Mary coming in. "Mary, I'm so happy to see you. I need to shower but I can't leave her and Maxon is being a pain. Emmy's fever has come down but she's still miserable. Also I'm supposed to be meeting Marlee this afternoon but at this rate I won't be getting there. " I ramble on. I look to Mary and see her laughing at my franticness. "Oh Mary, I'm sorry. How was your honeymoon?" Mary just shakes her head. "Now is not the time for that. Go get a shower and I'll deal with the princess." She walks over and picks Emmaline up. "Thank you Mary."

I come out of the bathroom, covering myself with a robe. I look around my suite to see Mary nowhere in sight. "Mary?" I call out, searching the room. I walk into the nursery to see Mary tucking Emmaline into her crib. Mary looks up at me and put her finger to her mouth silencing me. I watch her as she finishes tucking Emmaline in and dims the light. We walk back into my suite and I immediately pull Mary in for a hug. "How did you calm the child who cried all night?" I ask desperately. Mary laughs and pulls back. "She just needed a pair of calm hands to cradle her and a cold cloth on her forehead for a little while." I shake my head and collapse on the closet chair. "Of course she didn't want to calm down for me." "She could tell you were stressed you're Majesty." I sigh loudly and cover my face with my hands. "Mary, I'm going to lie down while she's sleeping. I need to rest before my meeting with Marlee." I stand up and walk over to the bed. I clean off all the baby toys and get in under the covers. "Of course, You're Majesty. I'll be around cleaning and tidying the rooms. I'll have some food and coffee ready for you when you wake up." Mary smiles and heads into my closet and closes the door behind her. It isn't long before I feel myself drifting off to sleep.

"Marlee can you hand me those papers on the new school system in Waverly?" I shuffle stuff around my desk making room for the stack of papers. "America, I think you need to clean your desk." Marlee laughs, handing me the papers. "I know but I never seem to have the time or energy." Marlee shakes her head and starts organizing all the papers from this morning's budget meeting. "Remember you have that budget meeting tomorrow with Silvia to discuss Maxon's party." I nod my head and skim over the papers. Not everything adds up on the papers. "Marlee, why are only the elementary schools receiving new art programs and older ones are not? I thought the new system was going to change it so that all schools will have more art programs." I ask, looking up at her apologetic face. "Well that was the plan but the budget was only big enough for the…" A loud screech interrupts Marlee's reply and I turn to see Emmaline crying in her chair. "Oh Emmy." I coo, lifting her up and into my arms. I motion towards my cover up across the room and Marlee gladly retrieves it. I start feeding Emmy and turn back to Marlee. "As I was saying, the budget only allowed us to put art programs in the elementary schools." She explains, pointing out the numbers on the papers. "Okay, I want to look over those numbers again and discuss this with the board of education in Waverly. Education and art is one of my priorities as Queen and I want to make sure it's done right." I state, setting the papers front and center on my desk. "Have we gotten any other province reports back?" "Not as of this morning." Marlee replies. I nod and make a mental note of the extra work I need to complete. I finish feeding Emmy and burp her.

"Marlee, could you do me a favour?" I ask, setting Emmaline back into her chair. "Of course, what do you need?" "Could you start looking into getting a proper nanny for Emmaline? I'm going to hate leaving her with someone else but I can't look after her and work anymore. Especially now with her growing and needing more of my constant attention and the advisors expecting more work from me." I explain, not taking my eyes off my daughter. "I understand America. It's terrifying thinking of leaving your child every day; I was scared leaving Kile at first but he's fine. I promise to find the perfect nanny." Marlee hugs me and ruffles my hair. "She'll be well taken care of."

"Good evening love." Maxon grins, walking into my study. "Good evening." I reply, not looking up from my work in front of me. "I see that Emmy has settled down." Maxon lifts her up from her chair and tickles her. "At the moment she is calm. She cried several times this afternoon while I was trying to work." I sigh, putting the papers into a drawer in my desk. "Miss Emmy, were you crying all day? Do you not like being sick?" Maxon uses his baby voice as he bounces her in his arms. "Says the man who refused to get out of bed one day because he had a tiny cold." I tease. "Hey I had more than a tiny cold." He pouts. I stand up from my seat and grab Emmy's blanket from her chair. "Alright mister I get it. The King of Illéa can't stand being sick. Let's go to supper before Emmaline decides to cry again." "Ames, she'll be fine." "I know" I whisper, leaning up to kiss him. "Let's go to supper." I start walking towards the dining hall in hopes Maxon is following me.

We reach the stairs and I turn to Maxon with a serious face. "I ask Marlee to start looking for a nanny for Emmaline." Maxon remains silent and kisses Emmy's cheek. "When did you decide that we were getting a nanny?" he asks, turning to face me. "Well I was 20 minutes late to my meeting and I can't always look after her when I'm trying to get work done." I explain "Also it would be nice to have someone here to look after her whenever we need someone. It's a hassle trying to track someone down when I need someone." Maxon nods and uses his free arm to pull me in for a hug once we reach a landing. "I understand America. She just seems young to be stuck with a nanny all day." "It won't be all day Maxon. Only when I have important meetings or she's too fussy to sit in my study with me." I explain. He nods and looks to Emmaline. "Do you want a nanny? Well I guess you don't know what a nanny is but you're going to have the nicest nanny in the world. No strict nannies." He looks to me "I want to be part of the hiring process though Ames. I only want the best for my baby girl." "Of course My Royal Husbandness."

The bright morning sun fills the dining room, making even the inside of the palace feel like summer. For once I actually feel awake this early in the morning. Emmaline slept through most of the night with no major incidents. Both Maxon and I were happy about that. The doors of the dining room open and Marlee enters holding a small bundle of papers. "I have 6 applicants here to be your nanny." She smiles, sitting down at the table across from me. She hands me the papers to me. "Only 2 already work in the palace but the others have worked for high officials or advisors. I have set up interviews for this afternoon starting at 1:00 sharp. They will take place in your study and I will be there to help you. I've made a list of questions for you to ask but feel free to add or remove some." Maxon looks at me with a grin on his face and chuckles. "Marlee, has anyone ever said that you go above and beyond with your job?" "Not since yesterday." She replies. I laugh and continue eating my breakfast. "Marlee, America and I made a list of questions and requirements for the applicants. Also I've requested that we have secondary interviews with the final candidates after today. I want to meet them before we decide on one." Maxon explains between mouthfuls of eggs. "Of course you're Majesty." I finish my breakfast and turn to Maxon. "My mother will be watching Emmaline this afternoon in the women's room. If I'm not done with the interviews can you relieve my mother from babysitting duties around 5? Mom needs to return home to help Kenna with the baby." Maxon shakes his head and replies. "I have a meeting starting at 4 and I doubt it'll be done by then." I sigh and stand up from my seat. "Marlee please make sure the interviews are done by 5. Also Maxon remember that we are having lunch with my mother at 12 in the women's room. Please be there." I stress, taking the bundle of papers off the table. "Of course my darling, I'll be there." He grins, taking my hand and kissing it.

"So we've narrowed it down to two of the applicants today." I state, going through the notes I've made today. "That's good my darling. Did you set up more interviews?" Maxon walks out of the bathroom with just a towel wrapped around his waist. I try to hide my blush and turn my attention back to the papers. "Yes, we have both interviews Friday afternoon. I've checked your schedule and you are free so you will be at the interviews. I can't decide this on my own." Maxon takes a seat beside me and starts massaging my shoulders. "I will be there. I want a say in who looks after our baby." He places a kiss on my cheek and looks down at the papers. "We can look at those in the morning." I shake my head and continue reading the papers. "Maxon we are going over these tonight." Maxon ignores me and starts sliding the sleeves of my bathrobe off my shoulders. "But my darling, you look gorgeous tonight and the princess is fast asleep in her room." He whispers against my bare shoulder. "For now." I mutter thinking about the lack of sleep I've gotten the past few days." Maxon ignores my comment. I sigh as he moves his lips to my neck. I gather up the papers and set them on the floor. "I guess I can spare you some time." I tease, turning to face him. "I'll take what I can get." I remove my robe, and move onto Maxon's lap. He immediately starts kissing me and wanders his hands. I reach over to the bedside table and turn off the light.

"Maxon please don't go too hard on the nannies today. I want them to be open and honest with us, not terrified" I plea. Maxon smirks and pulls me in for a side hug. "America, you know I'm going to go hard on them. They have to be prepared to work for us and take care of the heir to the throne." I sigh and take my hand away from his. "Please Maxon, they were nice and proper when I met them a few days ago and these two seem to know what they are doing. I don't want you to scare them off." I watch his face as he thinks it over. "Alright America, I'll be easier on them." He pulls me in for a kiss. "I love you my darling." "I love you too."

We enter the women's room to find two chairs set up with a table between them and another chair. We make our way over to the chair and take our seats. "The first applicant should be here in five minutes." I state, picking up the papers from the table in front of us. "Her name is Maisie and she is 32 years old." Maxon reads aloud from his copy of papers. "She has worked as a housekeeper for the mayor of Zuni and has recently moved here to work as a maid. She looked after his son several times over the course of the past eight years." I nod and look over the notes I made during the last meeting. "She sounds qualified. But she seemed a bit uptight last time." I state, flipping through the pages. Maxon sets the notes down on his lap and turns to me. "Alright, I hope she loosens up a bit today. I don't want any strict nannies."

The door opens and Marlee comes in with Maisie following her. Maisie has the same tight lipped smile on her face as the last time I met her. Maxon and I stand up and greet our guest. "Welcome to the palace Ms. Maisie." Maxon smiles, holding out his hand to shake. "Thank you You're Majesties for this opportunity." She shakes Maxon's hand and curtseys. "Have a seat Ms. Maisie and we'll start the interview." We all take our seats and Maxon quickly starts asking questions. We start asking introductory questions and such before getting into the more serious ones.

"So how much experience do you have with infants?" Maxon asks, sitting tall in his chair. Maisie takes a big breath before answering the question. "Well Mr. Ashburn's son was two years old before I cared for him. He had a previous nanny who had more experience for when he was young." I take in this information. "A toddler is much different than a young infant. Do you think you could handle the care of an infant?" I ask before taking a sip of tea. "Of course." Maisie replies rather quickly. "The princess is a quite simple child and is easily calmed. She won't be a bother to me at all" Maxon turns to me in a confused manner. I grimace and turn back to Maisie. "Ms. Maisie, where did you hear that information?" She turns red, realizing what she said. "Well the tabloids and the other maids." She says quietly. Maxon remains silent but I can see behind his blank face that this isn't our new nanny. "Thank you for your time Ms. Maisie." I state. We walk her out of the room gently.

The door closes and Maxon sighs loudly. "Maxon, you can't expect the maids not to gossip about Emmaline. I just think that she shouldn't have mentioned it during her interview." "It's not that America. I just hate how she acted like she already knew our daughter. I can't stand when people assume they know us just from gossip and tabloids. They don't know us and they act like they do. I am not the person they think I am." He freaks running his hands franticly through his hair. He starts pacing the room mumbling to himself. I walk over and take my seat again. I pick of a cup of tea, taking a sip. I let him cool down for a few minutes before he takes his seat. "Sorry my darling." He whispers, placing a kiss on my cheek. "I understand. I feel the same way sometimes."

"Welcome to the palace Ms. Hazella." I greet, walking her into the room. Maxon and I spent 10 minutes of us taking time to calm down before the next applicant. Hazella is a petit young woman, simply 21 years old. Her brown hair is shoulder length and her complexion gorgeous. She's defiantly a prom queen type. From her last visit I discovered she is from Carolina but from a different part. "Please have a seat." Maxon gestures. We all take our seat and begin the questioning. "So Ms. Hazella, last time you and I talked we discussed your experience with young children." I start, smiling widely. "Yes, I've worked for the police chief of Carolina since I was 15. He and his wife have children, two of which were born after I started working for them. I looked after the children for the past 6 years every day." Hazella explains, keeping a polite smile on her face. I see Maxon looking over her application before asking a question. "Why do you not work for that family anymore?" he asks. For some reason I never thought to ask this last time Hazella was here. Her voice remains quiet and steady as she answers. "I was living with at the family's house for the past 4 years because my mother, my last family member I had, had died. This family decided that after I moved in with them that I was owned by them. 2 months ago they found out that I have been seeing this boy who is a 4. They weren't happy to hear about the boy and told me to choose my job or him. I chose them but they still believed I was seeing the boy so they fired me. I decided to take what money I had and move here to Angeles where my cousin lives."

I remain silent as I take in the information Hazella has just told us. Maxon looks at me Hazella sympathetically before responding. "Thank you for sharing that with us, Ms. Hazella." "I wanted to be honest with you all. You're entrusting me with your child. I think your daughter deserves the best care and I think that includes you knowing everything about me." Hazella smiles. We return to our questions and she answers them honestly and confidently. She has the right answer when we ask her scenario type questions and understood the rules of living in the palace. We finish the interview and we escort her out of the palace, promising to let her know soon about the job.

Maxon and I return to the women's room and discuss the interview. "Well she has experience and seems qualified." I state, rereading her application. "Also she's friendly and open." Maxon replies, turning to face me. "Do you think she's right for the job?" he asks, with a grin on his face. I set down the pages of questions we asked and nod. Maxon turns to me with a huge grin on his face. "Well America, I think we've found our nanny."

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 **I hope you all liked this chapter :) The next chapter will have lots of drama in it so be warned. It should be up by the end of July the latest. Until next time.**

 **-SelectionGirl0723**


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